Dreams
by Crimson Knights
Summary: "Hey," his low husky voice sounded so close to her that it made her heart beat faster than before. His voice had never failed to entice her since the day they had first met each other. It sounded so sexy and alluring that she could not help but to have an urge to bite his lips... tenderly. "It's time to make your dreams come true, Miss Kagamine."
1. Chapter 1: Rin Kagamine

**********Note(s):  
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**1) Any familiar or similar events in this story are not related to any real life people or events at all. They are purely coincidental.  
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**2) Certain parts of this story might be confusing due to some characters' conflicting feelings within themselves.**

**************3) The build-up romance of this story is slow paced, so please do not expect the characters to get together quickly. You may see crushes, admirations, or one-sided love along the way.  
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**********************Disclaimer: I don't own either Vocaloid or its characters, except for this story plot.**

* * *

**Dreams**

"What kind of dreams do I want to have? Is it to be a bright star or an enchanting moon? Do I want to love or be loved?"

"What do I want to be when I grow up? Do I want to be like a majestic lion or a talented ape? Do I want to choose or be chosen?"

"I want freedom."

"I want opportunity."

"Freedom..."

"Opportunity..."

... were what we had always wanted and been chasing for until the day of our fated meeting.

* * *

Chapter 1: Rin Kagamine

"Rin Kagamine, stop right there! Who told you to smoke in the campus?" a lanky grey-haired middle aged woman yelled with her fist waving violently in the air.

Rin stopped walking and turned to stare at the discipline mistress with a cigarette resting in between her lips. The angry woman stormed and stopped right in front of her as she crossed her arms. Rin continued to stare nonchalantly at her as she took in a deep breath and removed the cigarette from her mouth. Then, she blew the thick greyish smoke right into the discipline mistress' face.

The woman was stunned for a second before shouting at her again, "Why you little... Whatever it is, throw that stinky thing away! You are coming with me to the principal's office!"

"You smoke too," Rin argued. "Don't deny it."

"Rin Kagamine, I am very sorry that this is a campus, not your luxurious home. You must obey the rules and regulations here. When we say that no one should be smoking in the campus, no one should."

"Smoke is in the air. It's everywhere, Ma'am. Furthermore, I am taking a small puff in the school garden. It is not like I can kill these plants with a puff of tobacco smoke," Rin grunted and put the cigarette back on her lips.

Upon hearing and seeing this, the angry woman shrieked and yelled again, "This is the last straw, Kagamine! I am going to meet your parents after the principal is done with you!"

With that, the discipline mistress grabbed Rin's arm and dragged her into the school's building while Rin struggled to break free from the woman's grasp. Unfortunately for Rin, she had to face the bored looking face of her school's principal when she was forced to step into the office.

"Rin Kagamine, so... what is your problem _again_?"

-:-:-:-

Rin dragged a chair from a table and sat in between her two friends with a scowl plastered on her face. Her friends stared at each other, then back to Rin and started laughing.

Her friend, Meiko Sakine, rested her head on her palm and spoke, "What's with your bad mood, Rin? Don't tell me that you were caught for doing stupid stuffs in school again."

"I hate school," Rin replied harshly. "How stupid. Why can't I smoke a cigarette?"

"So, you were caught for smoking in the campus," Meiko said and laughed again. "I think I love you, Rin. You got guts for doing that."

Rin rolled her eyes and muttered, "Shut up. You're high."

Meiko laughed again as she picked up a bottle of sake and put it in front of Rin. "It must be the wine. Here, have a drink. You will forget about your troubles soon."

"I don't drink."

"Come on! Sake is a relatively weak wine. You won't die after drinking a glass of it."

Meiko poured the wine into an empty glass and shoved the three-quarter filled glass to her friend. Rin snorted and took a sip of the wine. However, she coughed due to the horrible taste and gave Meiko a hard glare.

Another friend, whose name was Miku Hatsune, giggled heartedly and spoke, "I cannot believe it, Rin. You have already made enemies with the crazy discipline mistress and the principal within a few weeks. I wish you good luck in the future."

"Thank you," Rin said sarcastically and let out a deep sigh. "Should I return home tonight?"

"Ha! I know!" Miku exclaimed and slammed the glass of wine on the table. "The principal talked to your parents this afternoon!"

Rin took another small sip of sake and gave her friends a bitter look. The two of friends looked at her with pinkish cheeks and a goofy grin on her faces. They were obviously drunk.

Rin raised her hands up in defeat and said angrily, "Fine. I know I'm in a wrong but I hate that school! I hate those choices which my parents forced upon me. I hate everything on this Earth. Tell me, people. What is so good about Law?"

"And what is so good about modelling?" Miku shot back.

Meiko laughed loudly and gulped down the wine. Miku clicked her tongue and refilled her glass with sake while Rin lit up her cigarette and placed it at the side of her mouth.

"What is so good about university?" Rin asked softly to herself and breathed the smoke out of her nose.

-:-:-:-

Rin walked out of the bar alone, leaving her drunkard friends behind, and hailed for a cab. Luckily, a cab stopped right in front of her and she immediately boarded it.

The driver looked at her image through the rear mirror and asked, "Where is your destination, Miss?"

Since it was dark at night, she could not see the driver's face properly but she did not bother about it. All she knew that the driver's voice was not very deep, but was husky and very sexy. She shook her head and groaned loudly. Her ears had probably altered his voice and this was probably the effect of drinking four glasses of sake earlier.

Anyway, she told the driver the name of the road where her house was located and then she closed her eyes as the driver started driving.

-:-:-:-

_The cherry blossoms were blooming. The butterflies were fluttering gracefully while the birds were chirping on the branches of the trees. She wanted to run across this beautiful field and touched the nature with her delicate fingers._

"Miss."

_However, she could not do those things. Those heavy 'chains' around her limbs were tying her down._

"Miss."

_No matter how badly she wanted to leave this 'prison', she could only see the scenery through this huge rectangular glass window. It was sad. As she closed her eyes, she imagined herself running across the field and picking up the fallen cherry blossoms on the grass patch. She smiled and giggled to herself. Everything seemed so perfect and beautiful that she hoped it would remain like this forever._

"Excuse me, Miss."

Her eyes flew open and found herself staring at a young man's face. The dim orange light from a nearby lamp post shone into the car, making the features of his face a little clearer. She continued to stare at him with a stunned look. That man was sitting at the front driver seat and was looking at her with a pair of worried eyes.

"You're finally awake," the man spoke softly and turned to face the front. "We've arrived, Miss."

Rin gasped loudly and cupped her flustered cheeks. She had fallen asleep in the cab and worst of all, she had let her guard down. How could she forget about the male driver? She hoped that he did not do anything weird to her while she was sleeping earlier.

Her eyes slowly trailed to the rear mirror and caught him looking at her through the reflection on the mirror. Holding her breath, her hand dug into her bag and took out her purse.

Without bothering to ask the driver for the cost of the traveling fee, she handed him a thin pile of notes and said, "You can have the change. Thanks."

Before the driver could say anything, Rin got out of the cab and ran into the alley.

-:-:-:-

Rin tiptoed past the dark living room and went into her room. As soon as she turned on the lights, she immediately saw two people sitting on her bed with their hands crossed. They were also glaring at her. If looks could kill, she would have already disintegrated into thin air right on the spot.

"Rin Kagamine, where have you gone?"

Rin looked at her mother in boredom and replied, "I was studying with Miku and Meiko."

"Did you just mention about those bad girls?" her father bellowed. "I have already told you before, Rin Kagamine. Those girls have bad influences on you. You should leave them."

"But Miku was helping me with the current module in Law."

"Stop lying to us. Those girls have obviously tainted your mind with cigarettes and alcohols. Our Rin Kagamine wasn't like this in the past. Ever since you have entered into university, you've changed."

"That is because I don't want to study Law!" Rin yelled and threw her bag on the floor. "I hate Law. I hate how you people force many things that I don't like at all on me. Have you ever considered my feelings even once?"

"Rin Kagamine," her father said in a low voice. "If the principal were to call us again, you will be grounded at home and you will take your exams as a private candidate. We will employ a private tutor if this really happens."

Rin clenched her fists and snapped, "Stop changing the subject!"

"Then, it is all set. Goodnight," he said and walked out of the room.

Her mother stood up too and walked out as well. She grabbed the door knob and gave her daughter one last stern look.

"We are doing all of these for you, Rin. Please understand," she said and closed the door behind her.

Rin gritted her teeth and kicked her bag angrily. She stomped towards the window and rested her forehead on the glass panel with tears welling up in her eyes. Whenever she sat next to this window and took a look at the beautiful scenery outside, she would realise how weak and vulnerable she was. Nothing had ever changed since the last time. She was still nothing but a caged bird whose arms and legs were being tied down with 'chains' and dreams were ignored by others.

It was very sad indeed.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading '****Dreams**'. Please review. I don't mind criticisms but they have to be constructive. A simple review is more than welcomed!

**Thank you! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Cab Driver

**Dreams**

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Chapter 2: The Cab Driver

Rin flipped through a magazine and stopped right after she saw a pretty model in one of the pages. The young model had long straight light pink hair and she had a curvy body which any girl would die for. Not only those, she had a total of five piercings on both ears and a piercing at the bottom of her lower lip. The model gave off a contemporary feel with her fashion wear and style. This cool model was none other than the famous Luka Megurine.

"Yo, Rin!"

Rin looked up and saw Meiko standing outside the lecture hall while waving to her frantically. Rin kept the magazine into her bag and joined her outside.

"Hi! What's up?" Rin greeted with a weak smile.

Meiko grabbed onto her shoulders and asked in a soft voice, "Rin, are you all right?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Thank goodness. You suddenly left Miku and me in the bar last night. We thought your parents were the reason why you left," Meiko explained and let out a long sigh. "So, did you return home? Did your parents scold you?"

Rin laughed and replied, "I did return home last night and my parents scolded me as usual. Furthermore, they confiscated the packets of cigarettes which I hid inside my drawer."

"Seriously, Rin, I think you should cut your act."

Rin looked at Meiko and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Rin. You are actually not smoking. You are just acting so that you can be expelled. I'm sure you know that smoking is bad for your health."

Rin rolled her eyes and retorted, "Well, aren't drinking alcohols bad for your health too?"

The two girls glared at each other and then broke into laughter after a few seconds. Rin adjusted her bag and walked ahead while Meiko just shook her head and followed behind her. As they walked along the concourse area, they remained quiet.

Rin clutched onto her bag and slowly shifted her gaze to Meiko, then muttered a little loud enough for her to hear her meek voice, "I... wasn't acting."

Meiko returned her a stare and tilted her head with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Ever since Miku suggested to me to try smoking last week, I am hooked onto it. So... I was thinking if I smoked in the campus, I might be expelled for real," Rin continued.

"But in the end, it didn't work."

Rin clenched her fists and growled, "That's because of my parents. They must have used money to bribe the principal to let me continue my studies here. How low could they get?"

Meiko laughed and shook her head again. She placed her arm on Rin's shoulder and patted her head gently.

"Hey, how about we hang out together with Miku after our tutorial sessions? This will break your worries and stress away."

Rin grinned and said, "Sure. Thanks, Meiko."

-:-:-:-

Rin stared at the large poster which was hung next to a clothes shop. The model, Luka Megurine, was printed on the poster which advertised gaudy blouses for this Autumn season. Rin admired her awesome figure for a long time until someone broke her stance.

"Oh my gosh, Rin! Oh my gosh!" Miku squealed loudly as she ran along the pavement and hugged Rin from behind.

"What is it?" Rin turned around and stared at her blankly.

Miku took out a magazine and shoved it in front of her face.

"It's Luka Megurine, for heaven's sake!" she exclaimed.

Rin let out a chuckle and pointed at the poster. Miku turned to look at it and gasped.

"Oh my goodness... Luka Megurine is so cool," Miku muttered and touched her own ears. "I want to go for five ear piercings!"

"You're crazy," Rin interjected with a scowl.

"But Luka is my idol!" Miku whined.

Rin could only sigh in defeat. She grabbed Miku's collar and dragged her away because Miku had seemed to have attract a lot of attention from the passers-by.

Miku shrugged her hand off her collar and queried, "Where are we going?"

"We are going to where Meiko is."

"Where is she then?"

"At the bar."

-:-:-:-

"I will laugh my head off if you strip naked in front of the bartender," Meiko said and laughed loudly. "Imagine if Rin and Miku see that, they will give you a 'what the hell' look and... and..."

"Shut up. You're too high today."

"Come on, Kaito. Don't be shy," she whispered into the man's ear and pinched his reddened cheek. "Let's continue the game of strip poker. Now that you've lost to me and Gakupo, we demand you to take off your shirt!"

"Gakupo, save me!" he shouted.

The other man with a long ponytail flashed a toothy grin at him and answered playfully, "No."

"Strip! Strip! Kaito, strip!" Meiko waved her bottle of sake in the air ecstatically as she danced around the poor man.

He groaned irritably and unbuttoned his shirt. How he wished he could force the mouth of the glass bottle into her mouth and shut her up for once or maybe twice if God was kind to him.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Everyone turned around and saw Miku and Rin heading towards their direction. Meiko stopped dancing and waved her bottle to them with a huge grin. Gakupo smiled and waved too while Kaito immediately buttoned up his shirt and smiled sheepishly at them.

"Kaito Shion," Meiko bellowed and pulled his shirt. "Why did you stop? Strip now!"

"Miku, help me! Meiko is drunk and crazy!" Kaito screamed.

Miku blushed, then she started to pull his shirt too and said excitedly, "I want to see Kaito's bare chest!"

"You girls are just crazy!" he yelled.

Shaking her head, Rin took a seat next to Gakupo and ordered a glass of plain water. Gakupo shuffled the cards and handed a random card to her.

"No, thanks. I don't play Poker," Rin immediately rejected the offer upon seeing Kaito's shirt being removed forcefully from his body by Miku. "Oh yes, I have something for you."

"What is it?"

Rin took out the magazine from her bag and tore out a page from it before placing the paper in front of him. Gakupo looked at the paper and suddenly screamed in delight.

"It's Luka! Oh my gosh! She looks so cute in long dresses."

"For you, my friend. I purposely kept this picture for you before Miku goes crazy for it," Rin said with a smirk.

"Thanks!" Gakupo patted Rin's back and slotted the paper into his folder. "Speaking of Luka, I heard that your plan to be expelled failed tremendously. So, what are you going to do now?"

Rin shrugged and mumbled, "I don't know."

"Are you going to give up now?"

"I... don't know too."

Gakupo narrowed his eyes at her and asked again, "Are you going to throw away your dreams just like this?"

"Listen, Kamui. I have had enough of it. No matter how hard I tried, that freaking university just won't expel me for some unknown reasons," Rin snarled and clenched her fists tightly. "No, wait... It is not just some unknown reasons, but money. It is obviously the money that prevents me from being expelled."

"Kagamine..."

Rin hit her head against the table and closed her eyes as she controlled her tears from falling down. She knew that she had no chance to pursue her dreams. She knew it from the start. She knew it since the day she was allowed to step out of the house to attend the university like the others. She knew that everything she would be doing would be useless and fruitless. And it truly was.

"Kagamine! Please save me!" Kaito shouted.

Rin sighed and looked up a little. She saw her two crazy friends trying to pull poor Kaito's pants down while he was trying to push them away from him. At the mean time, he was blushing and begging Rin for help with his eyes. Nevertheless, it was still amusing to see the two girls overpowering him.

After giving Kaito an innocent grin, she rested her head back on the table and chuckled to herself.

"Oh my goodness, Kagamine! Don't ignore me!"

-:-:-:-

"Geez! Meiko and Miku are crazy. I am so glad that they are drunk and asleep right now or else, I wouldn't have a break," Kaito grunted as he craned his neck and stood next to Rin outside the bar.

Rin laughed and mused softly, "What do you expect? The two of them are always like that."

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised as Rin had finally laughed outwardly. He rubbed his forehead and smiled at her.

"Kagamine," he spoke and slowly pointed at his bicycle which was leaning against the wall. "Would you like... to have... a ride with me?"

Rin's cheeks reddened and immediately asked, "What about Kamui?"

"Gakupo said that he will look after the girls for tonight."

Rin bit her lips and then let out an awkward laugh, startling Kaito.

"No, thanks. I can go home myself. If my parents caught me hanging out with you guys again, I will be grounded and home-schooled," Rin reasoned out.

Kaito looked upset for a moment but immediately replaced it with a cheery grin and replied, "It's okay then. Let's have a ride together next time. I can guarantee you that you will like it."

"Su... Sure. Thanks," Rin stammered and waved to him as he got onto his bicycle and cycled off.

Rin walked towards the cab stand and waited for a cab. It was so late again. She wondered if her parents would be screaming and shouting at her for returning home late. But she did not care about that. Since they were the ones who let her out of the house, they should give her the freedom to socialize with others.

When a cab pulled over to the stand, Rin got in and stated her destination to the driver. Initially, the driver kept staring at her image on the mirror but soon, he drove off. Because of that, Rin began to feel uncomfortable. She took out a cigarette from her bag and lit it up.

"Excuse me. What are you doing?" the startled driver asked.

Rin frowned and answered harshly, "Can't you tell, Sir? I want to smoke."

"You can't smoke, Miss. Please hand me the cigarette now."

"No way, Sir. I've not smoked for a day."

"It's common sense that you cannot smoke in the cab because it will affect the driver's business."

"One puff will do, Sir," Rin bargained.

There was silence. Before Rin could put the tip of the cigarette on her lips, the driver stopped his vehicle at the side of the road and turned around. Rin was nearly enamoured by his bright dark eyes, although it was quite dark inside the cab.

"Hand me that stinky cigarette now. Like I said, no smoking in the cab," he bellowed and put his hand in front of her. "And I hate the smell of smoke."

Rin ignored him and withdrew her hand with the cigarette away from his outstretched arm. When she did that, he extended his arm further and shot her a frightening glare. She gulped and finally gave in. He took the cigarette and pressed the glowing tip on a metal tray.

"That tray... you smoke too," Rin grunted and pouted angrily.

"This tray is for people like you," he immediately replied as he rewound the windows for fresh air. "I mean, those who have no common sense."

Rin frowned and retorted, "Nobody told me that smoking is not allowed in the cab. You did not tell me either!"

Ignoring her comment, the driver started the engine and drove again. Of course, Rin felt insulted by this attitude and thus, she looked at his name card at the side of door.

She squinted and read out the words, "Len... Kagamine... second year of experience as a cab driver..."

"What?" The driver shot her a glare through the rear mirror reflection.

Rin stuck out her tongue at him and taunted, "None of your business, loser. I am going to report against your lousy service to your superiors."

"Fine, I dare you to do it. I swear that I have done nothing wrong to you."

Rin stuck out her tongue again and looked out of the window. The journey was quiet after that which she supposed was a good thing though. Very soon, she arrived at the destination. As usual, she took out a bunch of notes from her wallet and handed it to the driver. However, he refused to accept her money.

"Now, what is your problem?" Rin chided.

"If I am not wrong, you were the one who gave me too much money yesterday and called me to keep the change," he said and pushed her hand away. "Let's just say that today's ride was the payback for the extra notes."

Upon hearing that, Rin's jaw dropped and stared at him, stunned. How coincidence could it be? How small could this world be? And how could she not realised that? Maybe she was drunk the night before and failed to notice how sexy and familiar his voice was sounding a few minutes ago when she was definitely sober. She blushed and quickly kept the notes into her bag. Without saying a word of thanks or goodbye, she stepped out of the cab and scurried into the alley just like the night before.

The driver could only stare at her diminishing silhouette in puzzlement.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 2.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 1. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- MizuneMinamiki  
_- _Happiness Sunshine and Gum  
- Kuro Karasu Onna  
- 44Anifreak44  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. I am so touched! :'D**

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**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3: Len Kagamine

**Dreams**

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Chapter 3: Len Kagamine

"Len, your supervisor is looking for you."

He gulped and looked anxiously at his colleague. It must be about some complaints from his clients.

"Don't tell me that woman really reported against me," he mumbled and groaned. "But I was just doing my job."

"People love to complaint these days. It can't be help though. Good luck then," his colleague said and dismissed himself.

Len got up from the bench and threw his empty paper cup away into the bin. He headed towards his superior's office and knocked on the door with a slight hesitation.

"Come in."

Len opened the door and immediately bowed to his supervisor.

"Goo... Good afternoon, Sir."

"Kagamine," his supervisor spoke in a serious tone as he took out an envelope from his drawer. "There is something I want to tell you."

Len gulped again. The supervisor handed the envelope to him and he stared at it with huge terrified eyes. He looked back at his supervisor and noticed his face became more serious than before.

"I received a call from one of your client this morning..."

"I'm sorry, Sir!" Len interrupted and went down onto his knees. "I should have allowed her to smoke. I should not have taken away her cigarette. I promise I won't do it again. Please don't fire me!"

Len lowered his head and waited for his supervisor to speak. He was so afraid of being fired because this was the only job he could apply for with his current qualification. Furthermore, he could not let his mother down too.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm very, very sorry! I promise I will be more lenient with my clients. I will allow them to smoke in my car..."

"Kagamine, just what are you..."

"Sir, please don't fire me!" Len put his palms together and held them there in the air.

The supervisor stared at him in disbelief and shook his head.

"Look up, Kagamine. I say, look up."

Len looked up.

"Kagamine, that letter contains..."

"Please don't fire me..."

His superior frowned and interrupted him, "Shut up, young man. If you keep on blabbering nonsenses to me, I will fire you... for real."

Len finally remained quiet and looked at him with huge trembling eyes. The middle-aged man gave him a smile and pointed at the letter.

He began, "This is your salary of this month, including your bonus."

Len was stunned for a moment and finally lowered his head again to thank him.

"Furthermore, a female client of yours personally came down to see me this morning," he continued. "She likes your good service and honest attitude. She even wanted to pay for her cab fee which was not paid last night."

"So... did she?"

"She did, but don't worry. She has told me the whole story."

Len could feel blood draining from his poor head. What did she tell his superior? Fortunately, it did not seem that bad at all. Maybe that client did praise him for good! He heaved a sigh of relief. If he were to meet her again by coincidence just like the day before, he would definitely thank her and return her a cigarette. The latter would only be applicable if possible.

"Kagamine, do remember that smoking is not allowed in the cab. Don't ever let your passengers smoke inside, so do you. There will be weekly car inspections too."

"Yes, Sir."

Maybe she did not.

-:-:-:-

Len opened the front door of his old apartment and was immediately greeted by his ill mother who was sitting in the living room watching some television programmes. His mother was already in her late fifties and had heart problems. She could not go to work like she used to when she was still young and healthy. It could be helped anyway. Len had decided to work and support the family in her place.

"Len, you're early today," his mother spoke in a weak voice.

Len smiled warmly and said, "My supervisor told me to rest for tonight and this weekend. He said that I have worked hard and needed a break. I do think I need a break too."

He stretched his tensioned arm muscles and let out a soft moan. His mother chuckled and switched off the television.

"I guess it is my turn to work hard too since my dear son is not working for the next two days. I am going to bake your favourite banana cake and orange puddings."

"Mum, you don't have to."

"But my son has been working very hard for my medical bills."

"It's okay, Mum. I can buy..."

His mother shot him a glare and interjected, "So, you hate my banana cakes and orange puddings. Fine! I am going to make them for myself to eat!"

That made Len guilty and embarrassed. Of course, he loved his mother's banana cakes and puddings. He had not been eating them ever since he started working as a cab driver and missed them dearly.

"I guess... I don't mind at all," he said and scratched his head awkwardly. "If only you don't hurt and stress yourself too much."

She grinned in satisfaction and walked into the small kitchen. Len shook his head and walked into his room. He lay on his bed and stared into space. It had really been a long time since he had the time to idle around as if time and money was not as important as his dreams. However, he had longed forgo his dreams three years ago.

Suddenly, his handphone rang and he picked it up lazily.

"Hello?"

_"Hi, Len! It's me, Kaito."_

Len's eyes widened and he immediately sat up. He brought the handphone closer to his ear and smiled happily.

"Kaito, how are you? It has been weeks since we last contacted each other!" Len sounded really excited and that made his friend laugh.

_"I'm fine. What about you? Is your boss making your life difficult for you?"_

"Of course, I'm fine and my superiors treat me very good. They have even given me a short break for today and this weekend."

_"Good for you, dude. My exams will be next month so I will be very busy for the next few weeks."_

"Good luck, Kaito. I'm sure that you can do it."

There was a small pause before his friend continued.

_"Hey, are you free tonight? Do you want to hang out together like we used to?"_

Len raised his eyebrows and asked, "Aren't you busy?"

_"Just for tonight, Len. I can start my revision tomorrow."_

He thought for awhile before he replied, "Sure. I'm free tonight."

_"Oh, really? That's great! I will introduce a few friends of mine to you. You will definitely like them. And yes, Meiko will be there."_

Len's face nearly fell. He knew that crazy woman who liked to pull his little ponytail all the time when they were both studying in high school in the past. He shivered at the thought of losing his hair just from her hard pull.

_"There is a girl I want you to meet too. You know... I... kind of..."_

"Okay, I get it," Len interrupted and smirked. "You have a thing for her."

_"How... how do you know?"_ Kaito shouted and blushed heavily.

Len chuckled. "Who do you think I am, dude? Am I like a stupid friend who doesn't even know what his buddy is thinking? You're too obvious, Kaito. So, have you taken a step forward with her?"

_"Hmm... what do you mean?"_

"Have you asked her out? Or have the both of you started dating a long time ago?"

Len could hear him click his tongue. Then, his dear friend started laughing after much hesitation.

_"Actually, I haven't asked her out yet and she doesn't know my feelings either. I... I'm such a slow person. Ha!"_

Len smacked his own forehead and sighed. He knew Kaito was a shy person and had problems expressing his feelings to the person he liked. Kaito used to like a girl in high school and had tried to get close to her by any possible means like helping her in her homework and walking home with her. Unfortunately, the saddest part was that he had never gotten the chance to confess his feelings to her due to his shy personality and the girl was taken away by someone else.

"So, I will meet you and your friends tonight. Where is the place?"

-:-:-:-

_Those dresses were beautiful. Those idols looked resplendent in them as they walked down the aisle in a confident manner. The frills, colourful beads, ribbons and flowers had never failed to intrigue him since young and he would always stare at those dresses in admiration, instead of the idols._

_He clutched onto his new sketch book tightly and continued to stare ahead in awe. He wished he was the one who create those clothes. He wished he would be the one who would probably start a new trend or fashion in the near future._

'Knock!'

_He took out a pencil and began sketching a dress on his sketch book. He wanted the dress to have a huge ribbon at the side of the waist area, a red artificial rose with colourful beads as leaves in between the collars and short frills at the hem of the dress. He knew that if a girl were to wear it, she would definitely look like an adorable fairy._

'Knock! Knock!'

Len jerked and looked up. He stared blankly at his friend who was standing outside his car and knocking the rear panel. After realising that he had been daydreaming in his vehicle for a long time, he immediately put his sketch book aside and got out of the car.

"Len, why were you staring blankly at your sketch book? I have been calling you," Kaito said and narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't tell me that you are still thinking of the past."

Len bit his lips and looked down. "I... wasn't."

"Len," Kaito's voice softened as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "That sketch book is already old and tattered. I thought that you had given up on it... I mean, you dream."

"I did," Len muttered. "I have happened to clear my things in my cupboard just now and found this old sketch book of mine. I just want to look back what I have drawn in the past. I... I'm so sorry that I have lost track of time while waiting for you."

Kaito sighed deeply and shook his head.

Holding his friend's wrist, he carefully dragged him away and said in a soft voice, "It's okay, dude. I was the one who was actually late. Let's go and meet Meiko and the others. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun tonight."

Len looked at the back of Kaito speechlessly as his dear friend continued to drag him into a strange looking store. It was more of a karaoke stand to him though. When they entered into the store, Kaito told the receptionist his karaoke room number and headed into the room with Len tagging behind. Len had never been to this type of places before so his eyes were wide opened and scanning around with mouth agaped like a small child.

"We're here," Kaito interrupted Len's new discovery as he opened the door to his reserved room. "Guys, please meet an old friend of mine. His name is Len Kagamine."

Len saw a few huge pairs of eyes staring up at him. He inhaled deeply and finally picked up a lot of courage just to give all of them a wave with a small grin on his sweaty face. Of course, he was scared and uncomfortable. Why weren't those people saying anything besides staring at him?

"Hi... I mean, hel... hello? Nice... to meet... ah... you," he stammered and let out a sheepish laugh, hoping someone would respond to his awkward introduction.

Someone did respond to him but it was not what he had expected when he heard a gasp, then followed by a loud crash. Everyone in the room, including Len, turned to the direction where the source of noises came from.

"Rin, are you all right?" a brunette whom Len recognised as Meiko spoke to a female blonde whose glass was shattered on the granite floor.

The blonde stood up abruptly and stared at Len in horror. Not only that, her face was painted scarlet red. Len gulped anxiously.

What had he gotten himself into again?

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 3.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 2. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
_- _Happiness Sunshine and Gum  
- 12domba  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- seraphim.159  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4: His Voice

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 4: His Voice

Her light blue eyes fixated upon him while her teeth was jittering as if she was trying to say something but she could not. Furthermore, her finger was pointing accusingly at him. Everyone in the room was staring back and forth at the both of them until Kaito decided to break the awkward silence.

"Why didn't I notice it earlier?" Kaito started laughing. "We have two Kagamines here and they look seriously alike!"

Meiko stood up and joined the laughter as well. She walked forward, took Len by his arm and led him to sit next to her.

She handed him a glass of plain water and said, "Len, long time no see! Please don't be affected by Rin's sudden outburst. She is just surprised that she has a long lost identical twin, that's all."

The blonde snapped out of her thoughts and began to blush furiously. She sat back down and began to fiddle with the hem of her skirt.

"I... I was not surprised," she blurted and narrowed her eyes at Len. "I was, in fact, shocked that he looks terribly like me and at the same time, bears the same detestable family name as me."

Although he had no idea what she meant by 'the same detestable family name', her words had somehow stabbed his heart. There was no way he looked like her, except for the colour of his hair and eyes. He had his own 'man pride'.

A young man sat next to Len and introduced himself, "Hi! My name is Gakupo Kamui. Call me Gakupo, if you want. How should I address you?"

"Since there are two Kagamines here, I think it would be better for you to address me as 'Len' if you don't mind," Len replied and shook hands with Gakupo.

"Hey, I'm Miku Hatsune," a young petite lady from the opposite of the room greeted him as she waved excitedly at him.

He shifted his gaze to the female blonde and tried to recall her name. He was sure that Meiko did mention it earlier. The blonde caught him staring at her and she immediately stuck her tongue out at him. He groaned softly to himself. It seemed like he had already made someone detest his guts within a few minutes of gathering. How great!

"She's Rin Kagamine, a first year University student majoring in Law studies," Meiko whispered into his ear, causing him to flinch.

"Wow! That's cool. She will be a lawyer in the future."

"Miku too. She's a second year student, majoring in Law studies as well," Meiko added. "Whereas Gakupo is a third year student, majoring in Electronics studies, just like Kaito."

Len nodded in amusement. He could not believe that he was surrounded with clever people who had promising futures, a lot of potential and future opportunities. He could never be like them even if it took him hundreds of years to earn enough money to allow him to study further.

"Are you going to ask me which course I'm taking?" He could feel Meiko's breath against his ear and he immediately shivered. "I'm majoring in Accountancy. Just like Rin, I'm a freshman."

"That's... fascinating." He could only laugh sheepishly.

How he wished that Meiko could stop inching closer to him. Either she was teasing him or flirting with him, she was definitely making him uneasy. When he gave Kaito a piteous look in the hope to save him, Kaito just shrugged and sat in between Rin and Miku. Upon seeing that, Len's mouth twitched and glared at him. What kind of friend was he?

"Len, what song would you like to sing?" Gakupo spoke as he waved the remote control in front of his face.

"Any song will do," Len forced a reply and gently pushed Meiko away from him because she was practically leaning on his aching arm.

Just then, Miku stood up and asked in a sweet voice, "What do you all like to drink? I will order them for you."

"Vodka!" Meiko shouted, making Len cringed irritability by her loud voice.

Gakupo raised his hand and answered, "I would like a glass of lime juice."

"Do they sell lime juice here?" Kaito rubbed his chin and thought hard. "I think I am ordering that too."

"A glass of lemon soda," Rin said and crossed her arms.

"What about the other Kagamine?" Miku turned her head to Len.

Len scratched his head and replied hesitantly, "I think... a glass of iced water... will do for me."

Then, he grinned stupidly when he realised that everyone in the room was staring blankly at him.

-:-:-:-

"Why didn't you sing earlier? Everyone was upset that you were trying to shun away from us," Kaito said to his friend sadly. "Did we offend you in any way?"

"Of course not. I was tired," Len replied instantly as he felt guilty for not joining them in most of the fun.

Well, he was an awkward guy.

Kaito shook his head and leaned against the wall next to Len. They were waiting outside of the store for the rest to finish singing their last song before heading home. Just then, Gakupo and Miku stepped out with a drunkard Meiko on their backs.

"I guess we will bring her back home ourselves," Miku said and pointed at the poor lady whose head was resting on her shoulder. "Goodnight, handsomes."

Gakupo just waved at the two of them, then he and Miku walked away while supporting Meiko. Rin walked out too and stared at the diminishing figures of her friends.

"Kagamine," Kaito called out, causing Len and Rin to turn and look at him. "I mean the female Kagamine."

"Yes?" Rin tilted her head to the side.

Kaito's cheeks reddened as he scratched the back of his head and said, "Would you... like me to... give you a lift tonight?"

Len tried to hold back his laughter for he knew that Kaito had a thing for this female blonde. Kaito should just be more direct and tell her his true feelings, if not, the same scenario would happen again.

"I'm sorry. Not tonight," Rin replied apologetically. "By the way, I can go home myself. Thanks a lot."

Len noticed how dejected Kaito looked as he nodded quietly and unlocked the chain of his bicycle. He really felt sorry for his dear friend.

"Then, I better get going too," Len spoke and waved to them. "Bye!"

Len walked over to his car which was parked quite far away from where the karaoke place was. He unlocked his vehicle and when he was about to board it, an arm suddenly appeared in front of him and he immediately halted. Turning his head around, he saw Rin spreading her arms wide open as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, what can I help you with?" he queried with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

He saw her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she replied harshly, "As usual."

"What?"

"As usual, take me back home."

Len gawked at her. What in the world was she talking about?

"You know what, Miss Kagamine?" He frowned at her. "You should have taken a ride from Kaito. He's nice enough to offer you a lift."

Rin crossed her arms and leaned against his car in a casual manner but her sharp piercing eyes never left his.

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten me?"

"What are you talking about?" Len nearly raised his voice at her. "Look here, Miss. I want to head home because I am very tired now."

"I was the one who smoked in your cab and tried to report against you," she stated monotonously. "I hope these do ring a bell."

Of course, he remembered that crazy woman whom he confiscated her cigarette! But it really surprised him that Rin was that lady. Sadly, he could not remember how she looked like because it was really dark.

He forced a smile and mused, "Oh, thanks for calling up my supervisor. He was extremely pleased with your comment."

"That is not it!" she shouted and immediately hit his car with her small fist. "I thought you could remember me! How did you know that I was the one who told you to keep the change?"

How Len wished that he had totally ignored this lady in the first place. She was really freaky and crazy. At first, she was acting cool and arrogant. Then, the next moment, she became angry and started shouting at him.

It was funny to see how Rin's face became dark and she bit her lips furiously. Did he say something wrong? Unfortunately, that was the truth.

"I... I could recognise you... even on the second day and in the karaoke room earlier," her voice softened.

"Well, that's because you knew my name."

"N... No!" She looked down and began playing with her fingers. "It... was... your... your voice..."

"What is it about my voice?" he questioned and looked at her in a bored manner.

There was silence. She just stood there and fiddled with her fingers while Len tapped his feet impatiently. It was quite dark and he wanted to see what type of funny facial expressions she was making right there and then.

Just then, Rin looked up and shouted angrily at him for no particular reason, "Your voice sounds so stupid that I want to puke whenever I hear you speak. That's all, selfish cab driver!"

Len could only smile 'sweetly' at her as he opened the side door to board his own vehicle without saying a word. That girl had gone overboard and gotten on his nerves quickly. Though she was the one who had probably gave good comments about him to his supervisors, he could not stand her irrational behaviour and sudden outburst of anger. Was she still angry that he had confiscated her cigarette the night before? Maybe she was.

Just when he was about to start his engine, Rin got into his vehicle and sat at the back seat. That startled him. He turned around and glared at her but she just sat there and returned him a glare.

"Same place, same venue," she blurted. "Thank you very much, Len Kagamine."

"I'm sorry, Rin Kagamine. There is no service tonight," Len said and smirked at her.

"Oh?" She smirked too and crossed her arms. "I will pay you tons of cash for tonight's trip. How's that? I wouldn't want my parents to catch me hanging out with my friends late by the way so I have to get home fast."

"Who do you think I am?" Len bellowed. "Do I look like I love money a lot? Oh, come on. I have integrity too. You can't tempt me with money."

She slammed her hands on the driver's seat and yelled, "Then, what do you want? I will do anything for you just to take me back home!"

There was another silence. Len groaned and shifted back to face the front. This woman was obviously wasting his precious time.

"Just keep quiet and I will take you back home," he spoke tiredly and started the engine.

He rolled his eyes and looked at the rear mirror to see her expression. It was very typical of her to return his gaze through this little mirror and suddenly turn around with a stressed expression on her face. The cutest thing was that she puffed up her cheeks as she looked out of the panel.

After a few minutes of peace, Rin took out her cigarette and waved it in the air, catching Len's attention from the road.

"Stop it," he growled.

She leaned forward as she rested her head on the front seat next to Len and said, "Can I smoke now? You're not on service tonight anyway."

"What do you think?"

"Hmm...yes?"

"No."

-:-:-:-

Upon arriving at the usual-alighting place, Rin hastily took out her cash without finding out how much the travelling fee might cost and handed it over to Len. However, like the night before, he pushed her hand away and rejected the money.

Rin frowned and asked, "Why aren't you accepting it? I did promise you, didn't I?"

"But I didn't accept it in the first place," Len replied and looked at her in the eye. "I just wanted to get you off my back, that's all."

She bit her lower lip and glared at him menacingly. He just smiled innocently at her and that aggravated her even more.

"Why you..."

"Furthermore," Len interrupted her. "Let this trip be a 'thank you' ride from me for... complimenting about my service to my supervisor."

Though he could not tell what colour her face was right at that moment due to the dim lights outside the vehicle, all he knew that the colour intensity of her face turned darker than before. She hesitantly put the cash back into her wallet and let out a soft grumbling sound.

Just then, something caught her attention. She leaned forward again and reached out for an old book which was sitting on the front seat next to Len. She was curious and wondered why she did not notice it earlier.

Before she could even touch that book, Len quickly took the book away and chucked it in between the driver seat and the door.

"What is it about?" Rin demanded in suspicion.

"Don't bother about it. It's nothing important," he muttered and looked away.

"Selfish!"

"Get out of my car now. I want to go home."

Rin smirked and said, "I know it is your diary. Don't lie to me. I know it is an old diary that hides your dirty secrets."

Len kept quiet as he stepped on the accelerator, startling Rin. She clutched onto her bag tightly and looked at the rear mirror.

He looked irritated. Well, she guessed she had stepped on his landmine.

"Hey, hey! I was just kid... kidding. You don't... don't have to get so... so worked up," she stammered and laughed sheepishly.

Finally, the vehicle came to a halt and the angry driver turned his head around to look at her. She shallowed hard.

"Just be quiet and leave."

It was this same husky voice which sounded so sexy to her ears that could make her faint right there and then. Even her father and her boy friends did not have this type of enchanting voice. As a gush of heat rushed up to her face, she immediately got out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut.

Len then heaved a sigh of relief and drove off, leaving the flustered girl next to the lamp post while clenching her little fists.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 4.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 3. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
_- _12domba  
- MizuneMinamiki  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- carderon  
- violetwingsxoxo  
- Troubled Windchimes  
- seraphim.159  
- Lukia Kagamine  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Two Worlds

**Dreams**

She could have easily forgotten his name. All she knew that he bore the same family name as her. There were many Kagamines in the world so she did not bother about it.

After all, he was just a universalistic cab driver.

However, when the stranger spoke, she immediately could tell that he was that driver.

The reason behind it was that sexy voice of his.

* * *

Chapter 5: Two Worlds

_"So Luka, how is modelling going for you?"_

_"It's obviously going very smoothly and well for me."_

_"Time flies, Luka. As far as I could remember, you started modelling when you were only fifteen years old. So, that means you've been working in this exciting field for six years."_

_"Yes, you're right."_

_"During these six years of being a model, did you experience any setbacks?"_

_"Of course, I did. Being a model is indeed tiring but thrilling."_

_"How thrilling is it?"_

_"You'll never understand the thrill unless you become a model yourself."_

_"So, fans out there. If you want to be a famous model like Luka Megurine, don't hesitate to take part in the upcoming audition held by ALICE Studio. Luka, is there anything you want to say to your fans?"_

_"Hmm... oh yes! To all my beloved fans, have a good week ahead. And I will always love you people."_

Rin switched off the television and lay back on her bed.

"Thrilling, huh..."

-:-:-:-

"Rin, wake up!"

Rin jerked awake and leapt out of bed upon seeing her mother standing near the doorstep of her bedroom. Her mother was frowning at her with arms akimbo on her waist. How long had she been asleep when she was supposed to write her reports?

"Mummy, I am almost done with my last report," Rin said as she ran to her desk to pick up a stack of papers and showed it to her mother. "All I have to do is to type the report out."

Her mother eyed at her without saying anything. Finally, she turned around and walked away, relieving the tension within Rin.

"Your dinner is ready."

Rin walked out of her room and saw her parents wearing their shoes at the entrance.

"Where are the both of you going?" Rin asked.

"We've a meeting with two of our clients," her father replied. "And your dinner is on the kitchen table so please serve yourself. We'll be back late tonight but I will check on your reports when I return home later."

With a soft click, the door closed and Rin was left alone again.

It did not matter to her anyway because she was already used to it.

-:-:-:-

"Banana cake! Banana cake! Banana cake!" Len chanted excitedly as a small plate of sliced banana cake served before him. "Orange pudding! Orange..."

"Shut up and eat your banana cake!"

Len stopped and looked at his mother with a grin.

"I miss your desserts, Mum."

"Stop acting like a small kid," his mother said in a joking manner and sat next to him. "So, how's the gathering last night? Did you see Kaito and Meiko?"

"Yes, they were there and it was quite... fun."

"Are they still still studying?"

Len nodded and replied, "Yes, they are currently studying in the same university. Frankly, I was surprised that Meiko could actually make it to a local university. As far as I could remember, she used to fail most of her subjects and could hardly promote to the next grade."

She chuckled and patted her son with a cheeky grin. "Well, that is the power of love."

"The power of what?" Len nearly spitted the cake out of his mouth and then he stared confusedly at his mother.

"Love."

"Oh... you mean..."

"You would have probably realised that too, son." She looked down and smiled to herself. "I've never thought that she would never give up on him... even up till today, though he is too slow to realise it."

"But... he likes another girl. I have already met her a few times and I think she is... rather nasty."

His mother frowned and reprimanded him, "That's a bad thing to call a girl!"

"It's the truth. She is bipolar. She could suddenly shout angrily at you out of nowhere for no particular reason. Furthermore, I nearly had a headache last night because of her. For goodness sake, I still can't understand why he likes her!"

Len threw a tiny piece of that sliced cake into his mouth and chewed it.

"Does she like him too?" she asked excitedly.

"I don't know. In fact, I don't know anything about her. All I know that she smokes cigarettes."

She just nodded quietly and leaned against the back rest of the chair. The apartment became so quiet that only the soft clanking sound made by the fork hitting the plate could be heard. She missed the light gentle yet dreadful smell of cigar which she used to smell everyday whenever she stepped into this apartment after work. She missed cleaning up the irritating ashes on the floor. She missed how energetic she used to be as she was known for her incessant scoldings in this Kagamine household in the past.

She missed him- her husband.

"I'm sorry, Len," she spoke softly. "If it's not for me, you might be already in a vocational school studying fashion design, or maybe a university majoring in arts. Because of me, your dreams and future were crushed."

Len looked up and saw how crumpled his mother's face was. She looked guilty and sad but he knew it was not her fault. That was fate and it was supposedly meant to be like this for him. He had longed accepted his fate and continued to work hard in other aspect and area of life.

He had already given up everything in the past and decided to start anew with a job which was being a cab driver.

He patted on his mother's back and said gently, "It's not your fault, Mum. It is nobody's fault. Sometimes, things do not happen the way we wanted them to be. And sometimes, those things are blessings in disguise."

She looked at her son's warm smile and teared up.

"I believe," he continued as he embraced his mother. "God will lead me the way."

-:-:-:-

_"Hot news update! Luka Megurine is going to be present on the first day of modelling audition to see the performances. No, she is not a judge but she will be a figure who will give encouragements and advises to those who will be taking part in this on that day!"_

_"Hi! This is Luka! How have you guys been? Did you enjoy your Saturday? Well, apart from what the reporter has just said earlier, ALICE Studio will soon be announcing the actual dates of audition!"_

_"That's great to hear! So guys, don't miss the announcement!"_

_"Or else, I will be sad."_

_"Oh dear, Luka. Don't be sad. I'm sure that your fans wouldn't want to see you sad..."_

Len pulled the plug out from the socket and hung the loose wire over a hook.

His mother looked angrily at him and snapped, "What are you doing? Put the plug back into the socket!"

"I want to sleep," he retorted. "And there was nothing interesting to listen."

She walked over to unhook the wire and waved the plug at him.

"Then, go back to your room and sleep. I am going to turn on the radio again."

Len groaned, "What is so interesting..."

"Shut up, little boy."

He glared at his mother for awhile and finally sighed in defeat. "Fine! Lower down the volume so I won't hear a thing!"

After saying that, he walked into his room and slammed the door shut. He threw his whole weight on the bed and rested his head on his comfy pillow. As he shifted his head to the side, he looked out of the small window and noticed how round and bright the moon was in the clear dark sky.

_"Promise me, Len. Promise me that..."_

His eyes widened and he immediately sat up. As he looked around the room, he put his hand under his pillow and pulled out his old sketch book. His fingers ran over the cover and then he turned it over, revealing the first page of the book. He stared down at his drawing and sighed.

"Luka... Megurine, huh..."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 5.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 4. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
_- _CrimsonFireflies  
- MizuneMinamiki  
- seraphim.159  
- Lukia Kagamine  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6: Orange Pudding

**Dreams**

_"Promise me, Len. Promise me that you will make this dress for me when our dreams are fulfilled... I want to be the first person to wear one of these wonderful creations of yours... I like yo..."_

'Beep! Beep! Beep!'

"Ahhhh!" Len screamed and stumbled out of bed.

The morning sunlight shone into his eyes as he stared out of the window. He squinted.

"It's Monday... again."

* * *

Chapter 6: Orange Pudding

Rin opened the staff locker and inserted her file of reports into it. She could not believed that she had spent the whole weekend trying to complete them. It was not her fault. It was her father who kept calling her to rewrite them over and over again until they were that of his standard. She felt that everything he had done was ridiculous.

"Good morning, Rin! How's your weekend?"

Rin turned around and saw Miku standing behind her with a large smile. Miku stooped down and opened the other staff locker so that she could also put her work inside.

"Not good at all. My crazy father made me rewrite the reports until he was satisfied with them," Rin replied with a sulking face.

Miku giggled and patted her friend's back comfortingly.

"Cheer up, Rin. I'm sure that your father is doing this for your own good," Miku said and began to comb Rin's silky hair.

Rin pouted and whined, "I hate writing reports! I hate Law! I hate my father! I hate..."

"Calm down, dear."

"Miku, I want to play truancy!"

Miku stopped combing her hair and gaped.

"You tried to do that before but failed," she stated in disbelief. "You know, your parents have some sort of power which can convince the principal not to expel you. Basically, your efforts are fruitless."

Shaking her hand off her head, Rin grunted, "You're not helping me at all."

"I'm stating facts."

Rin grunted again and walked ahead, leaving Miku behind. Sighing, all Miku could do was to shake her head hopelessly. What could she do to help her poor junior?

She ran and caught with Rin.

"Hey, are you free in the evening?"

"Yeah... wait. Don't tell me that you want me to hang out with you guys in the pub again! No thanks. You know that I don't drink," Rin hissed and narrowed her eyes at Miku.

Miku laughed and replied, "Relax, Rin. I was just asking. Besides, I wanted to ask you if you would like to hang out at Kaito's house. Everyone is going there."

"What for?"

As she rubbed her chin, Miku thought very hard and answered softly, "I guess we will be playing games. I heard that his parents will be back home very late today so we can hang out at his place."

Rin slowly processed the information in her head and nodded silently. She did not mind going to Kaito's house at all. After all, she wanted to stay away from home as long as she could.

She smiled gleefully and asked, "Who is going?"

"Of course, it's the same group of people," Miku instantly replied and stared at her with a questioning look. "Why are you asking this obvious question?"

Rin blushed and looked down on the floor.

"Is... Is that Kaga... Kagamine guy coming too?" she stuttered as she clutched onto the hem of her shirt tighter.

"I don't think so," Miku wondered aloud and gave Rin a smirk. "I know! You like your replica!"

"What?" Rin shouted and frowned at her with a flustered face. "I don't like him! He is so annoying! I am so happy that he is not coming with us. You know what? You should see his smile. Don't let his smile fool you! He may look innocent, but he is actually very bad. He will stare at you like some pervert or pedophile. Seeing him one more time will make me puke and... and... my hair will stand..."

Miku placed her finger over Rin's mouth and interjected, "Okay, okay. I get it. You do hold a terrible grudge against that person, though it was only your first meeting with him that night. Moreover, the two of you did not even talk to each other at all! I wonder how he managed to annoy you till the point where you hate him."

Rin blinked. No, Miku was wrong. That night was not their first meeting. Neither did they not talk at all! They had met each other before that and she even tried to convince him to drive her back home that night after everyone had left.

Not only that, she knew something about him which annoyed her the most.

It was his voice, his sexily husky voice.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she said, "Let's forget about that useless guy! So, what games will we be playing?"

"Hmm... Who knows?" It was Miku's turn to blush. "I hope we will be playing strip poker."

Upon hearing this, Rin gawked at her.

Ignoring the response received from her junior, Miku cupped her reddish cheeks and chirped happily, "I want to see Kaito's bare chest again!"

-:-:-:-

"Kagamine, what do you have today?" An excited old man in his late fifties sat next to Len who was taking out a few containers from a plastic bag. "What are these orange things?"

"Orange puddings," Len answered proudly. "My mother made them and she wanted my colleagues to have a taste of her cooking."

"Oh! Does that means I can have one?" the old man asked eagerly.

Len nodded. The old man thanked him and grabbed a small container for himself. Then, three more cab drivers joined in and tried the puddings.

"The pudding is delicious. Your mother deserves a brownie," one of them commented and patted Len's back. "How's your mother by the way?"

"She's doing pretty fine, but the doctor said that she should not engage herself in strenuous activities or else, she will have a relapse. Thanks for your concern," Len said with a small smile.

"You are such a mature boy. Your mother is very lucky to have a son like you."

"Yeah. I wish my son could be like you, Kagamine. My son only knows how to suck my money out of my pocket. He's good for nothing, honestly."

"Me too. My two grown up children only know how to stick her hands out and ask me for extra money. They should start learning how to spend their own money wisely."

"My daughter is the worst. She don't even pay me a visit, not mentioning about her giving her supposedly-retired father some money. Look at me now. I am already seventy-one years old and I am still working as a cab driver."

Len looked at them and smiled again. He was glad that he was a good son by making the right choice for taking his mother's place as a sole-breadwinner of the family. He chuckled silently to himself. It really did make him sounded like a mature person, more like a father, who had a huge family to take care for.

"Kagamine," a man interrupted his thoughts and pointed at an untouched pudding. "Aren't you going to eat it too?"

Len blinked and let out a chuckle. "It's for you guys. Take it if you want."

"We're full. Thank you very much, boy. You can have it instead."

Len gave them a warm smile and put the pudding back into the plastic bag. He guessed he would eat it after dinner as dessert. It did not matter if it turned watery as long as he could have the first and last try of his mother's orange pudding.

This was how he loved orange puddings ever since he was a child, not to mention about his love for banana cakes yet.

-:-:-:-

_"As you know, 'Beyond Reality' the live action movie is going to be a blockbuster of this year. After receiving many positive responses for this romantic mystery anime series, TV Productions has decided to make it into a live action movie, starring Luka Megurine as Madam Tsu the female leading role of the series."_

His breath hitched.

_"It is going to be Luka Megurine's first time acting in a movie. I bet all of you are wondering what our favourite model's responses are after she knew about her first involvement in the acting industry. So here, I have invited Luka Megurine to tell us about her feelings and expectations of this movie. Let's welcome our star- Luka Megurine!"_

_"Good evening, everyone! This is Luka! As what our dear radio speaker has said just now, I will be acting in 'Beyond Reality' movie. I am obviously excited after being told that I'm given a role in that movie. Furthermore, it's a leading role and that movie is actually adapted from my favourite anime. Oh my gosh! It's my first time acting in a movie so I am, of course, extremely nervous. I hope that the director and the rest of the cast will be more patient with this little newbie."_

_"Of course, they will..."_

He pressed a button and deliberately turned off the radio. He continued to look ahead without saying a word while the passenger behind him was glaring at him.

"Can you please turn the radio back on again? I want to listen to Luka's interview," the passenger said in a low tone.

He did not hesitate even for a moment despite how guilty he was, but instead, he replied calmly, "I'm sorry, Ma'am. My radio has spoilt. I apologise for this cause..."

"Liar. I saw you turning it off."

"Because it's spoilt, Ma'am."

"How rude you are, young man!" she shrieked and pointed her finger accusingly behind his head. "I bet your parents did not raise you up well. Oh, wait a moment. Maybe that's why you are working as a cab driver at such a young age. How old are you?"

She looked at his personal information at the side of the window panel and laughed.

"You are twenty-one this year. You're so young, just like my son who is currently studying in university. Your parents..."

"Are you done?" he interrupted her as he pulled the cab to side of the road near the pavement and halted.

The passenger continued angrily, "Even your attitude is so rotten. Well, what can I expect from a typical cab driver?"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry that my radio has spoilt," he lied and looked at her with a poker-face.

The passenger was already fuming with anger. She took out her purse and threw the money at him, allowing the notes to scatter around the front seat.

"I'm out of here!" she yelled as she alighted his cab and slammed the door shut, rocking the vehicle a little.

He was so sure that he would definitely sue that woman if he were to find out that the door was damaged by her. For some reason, that woman's 'nice' attitude, or so she could have thought, reminded him of someone. He shuddered. Bad thoughts must be dispelled!

He stepped on the accelerator and drove off to a nearby place to have his dinner. Upon arriving at an old ramen stall, he got out of his car and approached the stall. After placing his order, he quietly sat on a stool and waited patiently until he heard someone gasp loudly behind him.

He turned around, having face to face with his exact annoying replica. She was gawking at his features while blushing very hard. Her jaw was hanging, as if she was extremely shocked to see him. Maybe he was undergoing some sort of body mutation right before her eyes. Otherwise, he was sure that he was not that interesting to be looked at this way. After all, this was their fourth meeting.

"Hello, Miss Kagamine. It's nice to meet you again," he greeted with a fake cheery smile.

Her face turned redder and she snarled, "What are you doing here? Why are you here?"

He stared at her and answered in an annoyed manner, "I'm having dinner here. Do you have a problem with that?"

"N... No... but... but why do I keep meeting you out of nowhere? Are you stalking me? Oh my goodness! A cab driver is stalking me!" She became hysterical all of a sudden and he guessed that he was right after all; she was bipolar.

"I just happened to stop by this place to have my dinner here, Miss. Don't think too much about it. After all, this is a small world, don't you think so?"

She bit her lips in defeat and sat down next to him.

"I was... shocked... to see you again," she muttered and looked at him. "Why are you... having your dinner... at this hour?"

He continued to stare at her in disbelief. She was indeed bipolar. She could suddenly turned all meek and shy within seconds. What was wrong with her?

"I was working just now," he replied. "And what about you? Why is a little girl like you wandering around so late at night?"

"I was fooling around at Kaito's place... with others, I mean."

His mouth formed into an oval shape as he nodded. The ramen was served as well and he began to dig in, ignoring the existence of the lady beside him. However, after awhile, he noticed that she was still next to him studying the bowl of ramen. It was as if that the ramen was undergoing mutation right before her eyes too.

She was a weird person to begin with anyway, he thought to himself.

"It's rude to stare at people when they're eating. Are you hungry?" he spoke in a low harsh tone.

Her face turned bright red again and she immediately stuttered, "I... I'm no... not sta... staring... at you! I'm not... not... I... want..."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, even though he had no idea what she was talking about. Just then, he remembered about the orange pudding which was in the plastic bag sitting next to him. He gingerly untied the knot and took out the container out of the plastic bag. Then, he placed it on the table in front of the flustered lady.

"Here," he said. "Have a try if you're hungry. It's homemade, by the way."

She stared at the pudding, then back at him with a frightening facial expression; her eyes were piercing right into him and she was gritting her teeth, as if she could pounce and bite him anytime soon. How scary!

He sighed. What had he seriously done wrong to her to make her hate him so much? Moreover, he believed that the cigarette which he had confiscated from her on their first meeting was not the cause of her overwhelming hatred for him...

Or was it?

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 6.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 5. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
_- _********Lukia Kagamine**  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- seraphim.159  


**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7: Lost Dreams

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 7: Lost Dreams

Rin wanted to cry badly. Here she was struggling to control herself from going insane because of his voice, but he was not making her life any better. He had suddenly spoken to her in a low voice a moment ago asking her if she was hungry and his voice, nevertheless, sounded as sexy as ever. The way he had looked at her through the corner of his eyes had added on to that effect as well.

As she stared at the orange pudding, she could feel her heart skipped a beat and she immediately looked back at him again. He was staring expectantly at her in the hope that she would open up the container and eat the pudding. While she was staring at him, she even realised that his cerulean eyes were as bright and beautiful as ever.

Although she hated to admit it, Len was so gorgeous.

"You are trying to kill me, aren't you?" he spoke with a hint of slight fear in his voice.

She snapped out of her thoughts and was taken aback a little as he gave her a glare. What had she done to make him think that she was trying to kill him?

"Yeah, I want to kill you!" she blurted with a blush on her cheeks. "Do you have a problem with that?"

No, that was not it.

She bit her lower lip and held her breath.

Her answer was not supposed to be this way.

"I'm sorry that the pudding is a little watery because it was taken out from the refrigerator since this morning," he claimed and pointed at the pudding. "If you don't want to eat it, it is fine with me because I can eat it instead."

Before he could even reach for the container, her hands quickly grabbed onto his wrist, preventing him from taking the pudding away. He was flabbergasted by her action and looked at her in puzzlement.

"I want supper, idiot! I will eat your whatever handmade pudding! Don't you dare to take back what you have given me, idiot!" she said bashfully and removed the lid from the container with a hand skillfully.

She sniffed the dessert and grinned a little. It was her first time seeing an orange pudding and would be her first time eating a pudding too. Her eyes sparkled in delight and looked at the seemingly distraught boy next to her.

"It looks delicious!" she exclaimed. "And I hope it is not spiked."

There was dead silence.

"Fine! I am going to take that pudding back."

Rin saw his hand trying to reach for the container again and she wanted to stop him again, but she was immediately stunned.

How could she not realised that she had been holding onto his wrist with her free hand since awhile ago while trying to stop him from taking the pudding away at first?

At this moment, she wished that she could just die in embarrassment. For the love of herself, she just held a man's hand for the longest time ever! Furthermore, that man was the cause of her frequent high blood pressure lately, she was very sure of it.

She removed her hands from his wrist and stuck her tongue out of him. Then, she took a spoon and ate the pudding. She liked it. She liked how it melted on her tongue when she gently squished it against the teeth. She liked the sweet, yet sour flavour which made her squeal in delight. She had never personally liked orange before but this pudding had changed her taste in seconds.

"Puddings... are nice," she mused and looked excitedly at Len like a small child. "It is my first time eating a pudding."

His eyes widened and gradually softened as he smiled at her.

"Is that so? That's great to hear that," he said and continued to eat his ramen.

Rin could feel the familiar heat rushed to her face and she kept quiet. She slowly turned to the container and ate the pudding without making any sound at all, much to Len's relief.

Finally, the both of them finished the food. Len stood up and left the stall, leaving Rin who was throwing the empty container into the bin behind. However, Rin was fast to notice him and she immediately ran to catch up with him.

"Hey, wait for me! Give me a ride back home! Wait up!" she yelled and managed to block his way before he could even reach his vehicle.

He eyed at her and smirked. "I will charge you this time."

"And I will pay you just like always," she replied sweetly with a pair of pleading eyes. "So, please?"

She could tell by his expression that he was not in a good mood, probably because of his work which was true; a crazy female passenger had spoken ill of him and thrown her tantrums inside his cab just because of a radio.

Len quietly nodded and she stepped aside to allow him to access his vehicle. She got inside the cab and sat at the front seat next to Len as he started the engine.

When the cab started moving, Rin turned to him and asked, "Say, was it you who made that pudding?"

"Nope," he replied. "It's my mother who made the orange pudding. Why did you ask?"

Rin intertwined her fingers with another blush and muttered softly, "I was just curious. I thought you made the pudding."

"Anyway, I'm glad that you like it." Len's lips curled into a smile as he continued. "If you want, I can tell my mother to make more puddings for you."

"Oh, really?" Rin beamed in excitement.

"Yes, but this only applies if we were to meet again in the future."

She rubbed her chin in deep thought and sighed deeply. "It's... hard."

"Why is that so?"

"That's because I cannot predict when I can meet you again."

Though his focus was supposed to be on the road, he turned to look at her and raised his left eyebrow.

"I was sure that there is such a thing called handphone device," he said sarcastically.

Rin hesitated and hung her head very low.

"I... I have no handphone."

It was indeed embarrassing. Almost everyone had a handphone in their pockets but she had never have one before in her life. Her parents refused to get her one, although she did plead with them for days. They said that handphone would be a distraction to her and her studies would hence be affected.

"I'm sorry then. We'll see about that later on," he could only say this in response and continued driving.

-:-:-:-

Rin yawned and looked around her in boredom. She had nothing to do and the both of them did not say anymore words to each other along the journey. Surprisingly, Len could still remember her address and that made her happy inwardly. If she were to have a handphone, she wondered if he could remember her contact number as well.

As she was chuckling to herself, she caught sight of the same old book which was hiding in between the driver seat and the radio. She looked hesitantly at Len and then back to the book. Since he was not paying any attention to her, she had decided to check the book out for any secretive information which he had tried to hide from her the last time.

It was time for revelation!

Without warning, she stretched out her arms and took the book within a split second. She flipped open the cover and looked at the first page in awe.

"Hey! Who drew this?" she said amusingly and flipped to another drawn page. "Oh! And who drew this too?"

Len tried to keep his focus on the road as he asked her, "What are you doing? Are you..."

"Yes, I am looking through the pages of your little old book."

"What?" he shouted and shifted his attention to her. "Please put that away, woman! I say, put that sketchbook away."

Rin smugged. "No, I won't unless you tell me who drew these clothes designs."

"You are really a brat," he hissed angrily and returned his gaze back to the road.

Rin flipped through the pages and admired the designs. She wished she could draw very well like him. He must be a very talented person.

"It's nice. I wish I could draw something as good as these," Rin mused and giggled at one of his designs which was a puffy floral dress. "So, answer me. Who drew these?"

There was silence.

"Don't tell me that you are the one who drew these!"

Len remained quiet.

Rin laughed and said, "I know, I know. It's impossible for guys to draw dresses. It's... weird but cool."

Rin looked at Len again to see his response. Unfortunately, he still did not respond to her. She snorted and crossed her arms angrily. She hated to be ignored, especially when she was trying to ask questions.

"I drew those things when I was younger. Laugh if you want, because it is unusual for guys to like fashion designing."

Rin looked up and saw Len signing away in remorse.

No, it was not unusual. It was cool and fascinating, she thought to herself.

"They are beautiful," Rin mumbled as she traced the outline of a sketched blouse. "Though I hate to admit it, I would love to wear them."

Upon hearing that, Len's grip tightened on the stirring wheel. Rin scratched her head for a moment and closed the book. She was confused. If Len could design so well, why didn't he become a fashion designer instead of a lowly-paid cab driver? Wasn't that a waste of talent? What a pity.

"It's great to hear that you like the designs," she heard him speak with a little hint of hesitation in his voice. "Fashion designing... used to be my dream, but..."

He paused and bit his lips sadly.

"Forget it. You won't understand."

His voice was soft and low. He sounded sad and she somehow knew his situation. It was just an unknown feeling inside her.

He was the same as her; their dreams were never fulfilled due to certain circumstances which she had no idea what his was.

"I do," Rin spoke gently. "I used to have a big dream but it was never fulfilled. The environment that I am living in has prevented me from pursuing that dream. I have already tried so hard but it's fruitless."

"For my case, I have to quit my education in order to work and support my mother and myself. My mother is sick so I am the only one whom she can rely on."

"Is that why you become a cab driver?"

Len nodded and asked, "What about you? You have the chance to continue your education in a university and have a promising future ahead..."

"What kind of promising future will I have?" Rin interrupted him as she gave him a snubbed look.

Feeling unhappy about her rude way of talking to him, Len cleared his throat and said, "You can be a lawyer, politician or maybe, pursue a Master in Law."

"And do you think this is my dream?"

"I... don't know."

Rin stifled a laugh. "Like you, I have been unsuccessful in fulfilling a stupid dream of mine. Even up till now, I am still finding ways to achieve it."

Len raised his eyebrow in curiosity and queried, "What is your dream then?"

She furrowed her eyebrows while her lips formed a straight line, as if she was in deep thoughts. Should she tell him- a man who probably knew nothing about her? But he had already told her his useless dream.

Maybe she should tell him in return to be fair.

"I've always wanted to be a model," she spoke. "That's my dream. The truth is that I have always admired many famous models and even Luka Megurine since young."

She laughed again. She knew it was a stupid and childish dream, and that Len would surely laugh at her.

But she was wrong.

As he moved his car towards the pavement and stopped driving, he carried a deep frown on his face. It seemed to her that he was troubled after she had announced about her dream. Was being a model that bad?

"I'm sorry. We've arrived," that was all he mentioned in a soft mumbling voice.

Rin pouted. What was wrong with him? If he disliked models, he should have just said so.

"It's... great... to know more about you today." Rin tried to change the subject and slotted the sketchbook back to its original position. "Here is the fee. See you soon!"

She shoved the money to him and got out of the cab quickly.

She could not believe it.

Len too.

They were so similar not only by their looks and family names, but also their lost dreams.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 7.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 6. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- seraphim.159  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Here are some common questions which are being asked by some of you or you might be currently thinking right now:  
**

**************1) Who is the person who appeared in Len's dream (at the beginning of Chapter 6)?  
**

_The person is none other than... his childhood friend whom he had never kept in contact with since a long time ago because of an incident. Maybe he did keep in contact with that person but he just did not realise it. You'll see more of Len's flashbacks or dreams of this person in the later chapters, then you'll soon figure out who he or she is. *refraining myself from giving too many spoilers*  
_

**2) Does Kaito like Rin?  
**

_Yup! ;)  
_

**3) When will Len and Rin get together (as in a couple)?  
**

_Maybe many chapters later...because this is a slow-paced romantic story.  
_

**4) Why are Rin's parents 'so restrictive'?**

_Why... hmm... I have to admit that I did exaggerate their behaviour but sadly to say, there are some parents who are extremely authoritative like Rin's parents in this story._

**5) Did I purposefully make this story deep and meaningful?**

_It depends on how you look at it. It is only meaningful when one finds it meaningful._

_Deep... maybe because I used some real-life contexts in this story? (I don't think so though...) But if there is any questions about some parts which you find confusing, just raise them up. I will be happy to answer them. :)_

* * *

**Please feel free to ask me any questions. I will try to answer them as far as possible.**

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8: Too Late

**Dreams**

_"Mummy, look here! Look here!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as she tottered towards her parent's bedroom. "How do I look like?"_

_She swirled around, making her dress flutter against the wind, and did a cute pose in front of her parents._

_"Rin, what are you doing?" her mother bellowed upon seeing her at the doorstep. "Return back to your room and do your homework!"_

_"I have finished my homework, Mummy."_

_"Then, do your revision now. I'm sure that your father and I did tell you not to waste any precious time," the woman chided as she grabbed her poor child's arm and dragged her back to her room._

_"I want to be like her, Mummy!" she exclaimed loudly and shook her mother's sleeve._

_"Who?"_

_As she pointed at a young model on the cover page of a magazine, her eyes sparkled brilliantly and squealed, "That model..."_

_Before she could say anymore, a hand just flew across her small delicate face, leaving a light hand print on it and a permanent scar in her heart._

* * *

Chapter 8: Too Late

Rin was stirred from her sleep when she heard a thud coming from the front of the lecture theatre. She rubbed her dry eyes and stared at her lecturer picking up a book on the floor.

"I'm sorry, guys. This book is heavy," he apologised with a weak laugh. "Anyway, all of you are dismissed. Please do remember that the final submission of your reports is tomorrow. See you at the next lecture again!"

The lecturer smiled sheepishly and walked out of the theatre.

Rin checked her watch and her eyes enlarged within a second or two. She could not believe it. She had slept throughout the lecture for more than an hour! Not that she cared about her studies, she was afraid that if her father found out that she did not take any notes for the whole lecture, she could just hang herself in her bedroom.

She was serious because her father was not someone whom anyone could deal with.

Groaning at her possible 'death', she packed her bag and walked out of the lecture theatre. It was another boring day whereby she could not do and think up of anything to irritate the lecturers, especially the discipline mistress and the principal. Ever since the smoking incident, her parents were keeping a close eye on her, fearing that she might attempt to play truant. Unfortunately for Rin, that was her plan.

"Kagamine, are you going back home now?"

Rin jumped a little and turned around, only to see Kaito in his smart casual attire. She stopped walking and waved to him in return.

"Of course, I am. What about you?" she replied with a smile.

"Gr... Great!" He clasped his hands together and blushed. "Let's... g... go home together... if yo... you want."

Rin raised her right eyebrow and nodded slowly. Kaito was sure insistent in going home with her.

"Are we riding on your bicycle?" she asked and he shook his head. "Then, let's wait for Meiko too. The three of us can walk home together."

"Wh... what?" Kaito gaped and stared at her in bewilderment as she walked ahead of him with her arms outstretched in the air.

-:-:-:-

Meiko stepped out of her classroom and caught of sight of Rin leaning against the wall with Kaito standing next to her. She skipped towards them and suddenly jumped in front of Rin, trying to give her a small fright.

Unfortunately, Rin's response was neutral as she slowly looked at Meiko with a tired look and greeted, "Hi Meiko, let's go home together."

"Aww... Rin must have been waiting for me for quite some time," Meiko sang and hugged Rin. "Kaito too!"

Kaito gave her uninterested look and shrugged.

"Let's go home together," Rin repeated again and let out a yawn. "I am feeling very sleepy today."

"But you left Kaito's house early last night," Meiko stated in feign anger. "Did your parents give you some sort of tirade for the whole of last night?"

"No, they didn't. They came back home late too. I... actually... happened to bump onto the other Kagamine on the way back home last night. You see, we chatted a little and... he took me home." Rin's face turned slightly red as she gently scratched her cheek shyly.

"What? You spent your whole night with Len!" Meiko shrieked.

Rin blushed heavier and shook her head vigorously. "Please don't anyhow say stupid things! You'll give others the wrong idea! He's a cab driver so it is obvious that I took a cab home."

"What did you guys chat about?" Kaito questioned in curiosity.

"Orange pudding."

"What?" He tilted his head.

Rin gulped and corrected, "Our dreams."

There was silence. She saw how his brows knitted together and Meiko's eyes staring intently at her. Had she said anything wrong? She doubted so though. Len should have told her the truth about his dream and she had even seen his passion with her own eyes.

"What's wrong?" her voice quivered at the thought of Len having another dream which he did not share with her.

Meiko snapped out of her stance and cleared her throat. "Did Len say anything else, other than his dream?"

"Nope," she replied. "He only talked a little about the reason behind his unfulfilled dream, and also how lucky I am to continue my education."

There was another silence.

Suddenly, she felt a strong push behind her back, causing her to stumble a few steps forward. She groaned and turned around with a slight glare, only to see a girl with two long pigtails grinning cheekily at her.

"Mi... Miku!" Rin practically shouted in surprise and her gaze immediately softened. "What a great way to greet your junior!"

"Of course," Miku snickered and crossed her arms. "Did you have a heart attack, Dear? Just kidding. So, where are you guys going? I'm going home by the way. Would you like to walk home with me?"

Kaito began to look slightly annoyed but he managed to look away before anyone could catch him having that expression. However, Rin saw it first but she did not think so much about it. It must have been a rough day for Kaito, she understood.

"Well then," Meiko spoke loudly, breaking the silence as she grabbed Rin's hand. "Rin and I have some things to do now. Why don't Kaito walk home with you, Miku? I hope that should be fine. Goodbye!"

Before Rin could react, Meiko quickly dragged her away, leaving Miku blushing and Kaito staring blankly at them.

-:-:-:-

She kicked the sandy ground backwards, letting herself swing forward and backward continuously. The gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks and her short feather-like hair fluttered together with it.

She missed those times when they used to be together. He would be behind her pushing her back as she swung back and forth. He would be standing on the wooden plank, trying to impress her with his stupid stunts like doing a back-flip which had resulted him landing up in a hospital instead.

Those times were fun and nostalgic.

"Why did you do that?" a voice interrupted her. "I purposely told him to wait for you."

"I'm sorry... That girl..." She paused and exhaled deeply. "I want to help her, that's all."

"But... why?"

Meiko stopped swinging and rested. She looked down at her shoes and smiled.

"Miku likes him. But knowing that stupid man, he is too dense to realise that."

"What about you, Meiko? Why did you want to help her? You have been trying so hard, yet he has failed to notice you."

Her head hung even lower as she battled with her tears. Rin was right. She had been trying so hard since young but nearly gave up after the long and fruitless chase for him. He, Kaito Shion, would never see her as someone else other than a friend no matter what she did.

"I like Miku too. She is our senior and has done many things for us. I know she likes him," Meiko muttered and closed her eyes as a drop of tear rolled down her cheek. "And I want to see her happy."

"Meiko..."

"Rin," she interrupted and looked at her with a smile. "Thank you."

Rin sat still and quietly stared at her friend next to her swinging away. Chasing Kaito was Meiko's dream. But why did she give it up to someone else instead? Didn't she like him? If she were to be in Meiko's shoes, she would have chased that dream, no matter how difficult it was, until she achieved it.

That lost and sad look on her friend's face reminded her of someone whom she deemed as annoyingly mysterious. Both had lost hope in fulfilling their dreams.

"About Len."

Rin flinched. Speaking of the devil, why did Meiko suddenly brought his name up? Did she read her mind a second ago?

"How was he? I hope he was fine, especially after telling you about his dream of the past," Meiko continued with a sheepish grin. "He is a poor guy but is a very reliable person. We've known each other since young too so I know quite a lot of him."

"He was still very fine."

"Oh, that's great to hear that. You know, he can be quite skeptical sometimes. So, I'm also afraid that you might feel offended by him when you told him about your dream."

"He was... cool with it, I guess."

"Real... really?" Meiko was taken aback and bit her lips. "I see."

Meiko chuckled loudly and stood up from the swing. Regaining her usual cheery composure, she wrapped her arm around Rin's neck and beamed.

"So, tell me, how's Len to you by the way? If I am not wrong, your reaction towards him was far from normal in the karaoke room that day," she teased with a twinkle in her left eye. "Isn't he such a cutie? When he was young, everyone kept on mistaking him for a girl. Frankly, I even teased him back on those days."

Rin pretended to smile and nodded slightly at every sentence Meiko spoke. What did she think of him?

Well, he was one of the kind who could enamour girls with his husky voice which she found annoying yet enchanting.

Or rather, 'sexy' was probably the best word to describe him.

Rin shook her head and blushed furiously. Why was she thinking of this type of naughty thing, especially that guy? This was so wrong!

"In my opinion, he is not reasonable and logical," Rin grumbled and pouted. "But I can say that I can relate his lost dream to mine."

Meiko could only nod silently as she listened. Did Len really become that bad after three years working as a cab driver? It might be true that he would meet uneducated cab drivers everyday but she knew that he would not downgrade himself to their level. He was, in fact, very intelligent. There was no way he would become irrational.

"Hey, Meiko," Rin interrupted her thoughts. "Why did you like Kaito?"

"What? Kaito again?" Meiko sighed and shook her head tiredly. "Seriously, I don't know that either..."

She paused and looked at how Rin was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Sighing again, Meiko removed her arm from Rin's shoulder and crossed them.

"It had been so long since we were still little... and my feelings for him... just built up like that." She took in a deep breath and smiled weakly. "Even without me noticing it until... it was too late."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 8.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 7. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- MizuneMinamiki  
- seraphim. 159  
- Lynn 'Ne'-chan  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- YellowFluffiesForever22  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Here are some common questions which are being asked by some of you or you might be currently thinking right now:  
**

**************1) Why does Len hate it when topics about fashion is involved?  
**

_Maybe it is because he knew he could never be a fashion designer.  
_

**2) Is Rin a tsundere?  
**

_Yes, she is! But I'm not sure if she belongs to type A or B.  
_

**3) How does Len's voice sound like?  
**

_It is up to you to decide how beautiful or sexy it sounds. :D  
_

**4) Is there a possibility that Luka/Rin is Len's childhood friend?  
**

_Well, why not?  
_

* * *

**Please feel free to ask me any questions. I will try to answer them as far as possible.**

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9: Coincidence

_**Dreams**_

_She combed her short brown hair with her fingers as she waited for him to walk out of class after his lesson had ended a few minutes ago._

_She waited and waited, but he did not appear at all._

_Worriedly, she picked up her bag, walked over to his classroom and peeped into it through the window. Almost immediately, her face fell and she tightened her grip at the hem of her blouse. Her eyes were stinging in pain._

_She saw him with her again._

_The girl whom he had a crush on._

_She clutched on her chest and battled with her tears. There was this overwhelming feeling building up inside her chest within seconds and no doubt that she hated it very much. She really did hate this unspeakable feeling._

_"I... I must stay strong... no matter what."_

* * *

Chapter 9: Coincidence

It was finally Sunday when everyone could have fun and hang out with their friends and families, except for Rin. Rin sat in front of the television with her eyes glued on the screen while her parents were putting on their shoes. As always, her parents were preparing to go out, not for shopping nor hangout, but for some cases which they as lawyers had to work on even during weekends. As pathetic as it sounds, being a lawyer is not an easy and a relax job.

"Rin, we'll be back home late again, probably till past midnight. Do remember to sleep in early tonight. Don't forget to leave your report draft on your father's table. He will check through your work when he returns," her mother rattled sternly and opened the door. "Do you get what I have just said?"

"Yes, Mummy," Rin responded without looking away from the television screen.

Her father narrowed his eyes at Rin and bellowed, "I expect a good draft from you, Rin. And stop watching those useless television programmes!"

"Yes..."

"I mean, now!"

Startled, Rin jumped off from the couch and switched the television off. Her eyes traveled to her parents who were already walking out of the house. After exchanging cold farewells, she walked back into her bedroom, plopped on her bed and secretly turned on her own mini-television.

Her eyes continued to glue at the little screen, featuring Luka Megurine in a purple gown as she walked confidently along a platform. The audiences were cheering for her and even the judges were awed by her beauty. Being a model really felt interesting and fun. Rin remembered what Luka had said about the thrill of modeling. She wanted to feel it- the thrill of being a good and respected model.

While watching the programme, she wrote her report and got it done with quickly. Then, she placed it on her father's desk before returning back to her bedroom and continued the programme.

_"Luka Megurine has won the 'Best Model Award'!"_

Rin gasped excitedly and clapped for her idol's victory.

_"I want to thank all my fans for always supporting me. Without your support, I don't think I'll get this award today. Thank you!"_

Rin admired how humble Luka was. She was the best model she had ever seen. Not only she was pretty, she was nice and had a very good disposition. No wonder everyone liked Luka.

Suddenly, Rin heard a loud screeching sound coming from outside her house. Curious, she ran towards the window and looked out. She saw a figure pushing a car along the narrow road in the dark. As the figure passed by her estate, she saw something was not right with the vehicle. One of its wheels looked deflated and the vehicle was not any normal car. It reminded of someone upon seeing the logo on the car.

It was a cab.

-:-:-:-

It was not like she would bother about the stranded cab. She was just bored and needed some break in life. Every single thing amused her, so was this cab. The figure stopped pushing the vehicle and slid down against the side of it, probably taking a short breather. Furthermore, he was taking a rest just right outside her estate.

Rin raised her eyebrows. Was the person tired? Maybe she should help him. Without further ado, she ran out of her room and headed to the gates where the person and his vehicle were.

She fumbled with her keys and called out to the person, "Hey there! What can I help..."

She paused and gawked at the silhouette.

Then, she heard the person spoke, "Oh, good evening! I'm sorry if I stop my vehicle right in front of your gates. I didn't mean to stop here. As you can see, my tire... has been punctured."

This voice was so familiar. It was so familiar that it nearly made her heart stop beating. No matter how breathy and low his voice was, it had never failed to attract her.

She really hated this voice and this particular person.

"Len Kagamine!" she suddenly shouted and pointed at the person. "Wha... wha... what are you doing here?"

She was thankful that it was dark or else, that certain cab driver could definitely see how flustered she looked right then.

The person walked over to the gates and stared at Rin with a frown. Rin gulped. It was really Len!

"Hi, Miss. I didn't know you live here," Len spoke casually with a small smile. "But it's nice to see you again."

She remained speechless as she saw Len stepped back and returned to the side of his vehicle. Rin shook her head and hastily opened the gates.

"Wh... why is your tire punctured?" Rin approached him cautiously. "Why don't you call for help?"

"It'll be too troublesome. But anyway, I have an extra tire in the boot."

"Then, change it."

"I know..." Len let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't have a crowbar with me now."

-:-:-:-

"You are so stupid! How could you forget to bring a crowbar along with you? You're so careless! So irritating! So annoying!"

She rumbled on and on while Len fixed the wheel by himself. After fixing the wheel, he stood up and handed the crowbar to her.

"Thanks a lot for lending me your father's crowbar," he interrupted her rants. "Now that the wheel is fixed, I think I'm heading off soon. See you, Miss!"

"W... Wait!"

Rin immediately covered her mouth and shuddered. What did she just say?

Len tilted his head and asked, "Yes?"

She blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. Her heart was palpitating again and she felt butterflies in her stomach. It had been only a week since she last saw him. So, why was she feeling this way? She had never had this feeling before. Just by seeing him could sent her heart go beating rapidly, and just by hearing his husky voice could sent her entire being flying to the moon, no, Jupiter.

As much as she hated him, deep inside her she wanted him to stay a little longer with her.

"Com... come in... an... and ta... take... a seat," she stuttered.

Len was taken aback and shook his head with a laugh. "No, it's okay. I don't want to disturb your family."

"They... are not at home," Rin said meekly and chewed her lips. "It's rare... to have visitors."

He rubbed his chin with a teasing smirk and said, "So, I assume that you're lonely."

Rin opened her mouth and quickly closed it back.

"Then, I don't mind. Please take care of me." Len chuckled. "Even if it is for a few minutes."

Upon hearing this, she felt very happy. It was as if she had kicked a ball into the goal. And she could feel more heat gushed up to her face like a geyser. Just what had Len done to her?

Rin cleared her throat and held her breath to calm herself down. She was probably thinking and reacting a little too much. There was no way that guy could make her like this. He was just a stupid annoying cab driver with a great voice!

"Rin," she whispered to herself firmly while flapping her hands near her face to cool her extremely warm face down. "Just admit that you want to spent your time with this guy here. Just admit it..."

"What?"

She flinched and looked at Len again.

"What are you murmuring to yourself?" Len questioned with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Are you plotting something against me?"

"That's not it!" Rin snapped and unconsciously grabbed his arm. "Just eat with me, idiot!"

"E...Eat?"

"Yeah! Do you have a problem with that?" She glared at him intimidatingly and tightened her grip around his arm.

Len's mouth twitched and pretended to laugh again.

"Well... of course not. I... I haven't have my dinner yet. So... sure, why not?"

Here again, she scored another goal.

-:-:-:-

"Thanks for the meal!" Len sang as he clapped his hand two times before picking the chopsticks up and dug into his meal which was prepared by Rin.

As Rin looked at the spoon entering into his mouth with anticipation, her fingers rubbed against one another while a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. She wondered how her 'last-minute' cooking tasted like. Yes, it was made in a haste upon the arrival of Len. Whether it tasted fabulous or not, all Rin wanted to hear was his comment.

"How is it?"

Len slowly chewed on the food without making any obvious expressions. He just ate quietly, ignoring her question. He ate another spoonful, then the next, and the next until he suddenly coughed abruptly, causing Rin to jump in fight.

"I think," Len spoke and made an awful face. "Staring at people eating is kind of rude. I thought I have mentioned this before."

"Wha... what?" Rin cried out and blushed. "I wasn't staring at you!"

"I can feel your intense stare..."

"As if I would stare at you!" Rin shrieked and swung her arms in the air.

Chuckling, Len put down his utensils and rested his head on his hands. "I saw you giving me a perverted look... like you would devour me whole tonight."

If a volcano was planted on Rin's head, she was so sure that it would erupt upon hearing that. She clenched her fists with slight anger and embarrassment. True, she was staring at him but she swore that she was not making any weird faces!

"Maybe because... you find me handsome tonight," Len continued to tease her and she immediately scoffed.

"Well, you sure do know how to praise yourself, Sir."

"Of course, Miss. All great guys know when to praise themselves, especially in front of ladies."

Len covered his mouth and stifled a laugh. It was a weird conversation but it was interesting to talk to her. Her priceless expression upon hearing his 'smart' phrase was inevitably funny. The way she blushed, shrieked, puffed up her cheeks in anger, and put him up sarcastically amused him. She was just one weird lady whom he seemed to meet a lot lately. Be it by fate or coincidence, he felt as if their meeting were not just plain meeting, but it was a plan. He was not sure what kind of plan it was, but he was very sure that he had to do something for her.

But what was it?

"Shut up, girly boy! I know that you will only praise yourself in front of gays!" Rin suddenly exploded as she stomped her feet hard on the marble floor.

"Relax, girl. I was just kidding," Len said and tried to hold back his laughter. "You know, the dinner..."

Rin stopped stomping and looked at him with wide eyes. She had almost forgotten about her own question. Oh, how long did he have to take to answer that question about the dinner?

"... tastes great. Thank you."

She chewed her lips and looked down, hiding her obvious smiling face from him. She could not believe that she was just praised by him.

A praise from Len Kagamine...

She did not know that it could actually make her feel so jumpy. She shook her head in disgust and ran her fingers through her hair. Being with Len was definitely worse than what most people called it 'PMS', as far as her severe mood swings were concerned.

"It's great to hear that from you," she scoffed again with her nose in the air. "What do you expect from a model wannabe?"

Len looked at her confusedly. "Model... wannabe?"

"Yeah!" Rin smirked and leaned forward against the table. "According to Luka Megurine, good cooking skills are essential to be a model."

Len's eyes widened for a moment and he immediately looked back on his plate. His hands trembled a little as he picked up his utensils again. Seeing him behaving strangely worried her. Was she wrong to say that? She thought all models should know how to cook basic meals, in case of some variety shows which might showcase their cooking skills.

"I see... cooking... is essential," Len mumbled weakly to himself and continued his meal.

There was silence between them, except for the sounds coming from the television. Rin stared at the screen awkwardly, feeling a little guilty for destroying the mood earlier even though she had no idea what had caused him to be like that.

_"ALICE Studio presents... a whole new world of artistes... a brand new world of fame... and just an audition which will determine our future, including yours. So, what are you waiting for? Come on now and sign up for the audition. Don't miss this chance to be like Luka Megurine, our star!"_

A pop music blasted loudly from the speaker when the advertisement ended, causing Len to flinch and look up, only to see a certain model's face on the screen. He cringed.

"Why do you want to be a model in the first place?" Len suddenly voiced out in the midst of the music.

Rin shifted her gaze from the featured model's face to him and answered, "Why, you mean? Isn't it obvious? I was inspired to be one, just like her."

She pointed at the screen and smiled weakly. Of course, she wanted to be like Luka Megurine. She was young, beautiful, and could capture so many hearts of people of different ages.

"What is the inspiration?" Len continued nonchalantly.

"Inspiration..." Rin's voice softened as she looked down in deep thought.

She remembered how she had come to like modelling. Firstly, she liked dressing herself up with pretty clothes. Secondly, she loved to create her own poses in front of people, even mirrors as well. Thirdly, she wanted others to be happy...

She took in a deep breath and started, "When I was young, I would always admire models from television shows and magazines. They were the ones who brought joy in my closed-up and boring childhood. They inspired me in so many ways that I want to be like them one day and make others happy like what those models have done to me. But..."

Rin lowered her head sadly and tried to laugh before her tears could actually formed on her lower eyelids.

"... my parents disapproved."

Because, to them, being a model was a waste of time and would lead the Kagamine family into a world of disgrace.

-:-:-:-

Just like what he had expected from a rich brat, Rin lived in a huge and luxurious house with a beautiful and nicely-decorated interior. It was like his dream home. He finished the last scope of the rice before putting the utensils down again and rest his back against the back rest of the chair. He stared at the woman sitting in front of him as she looked down, avoiding his look. His lips curled and he leaned forward, placing his hands on the dining table. Instinctively, she looked up and stared into his cerulean eyes. Her eyes were red and watery, and he understood how she was feeling. Deep down in his heart, he empathised with her.

"Bringing smiles to others is a good thing," he spoke softly with a grin. "It's like a star."

"Star, huh..." She smiled weakly as she said that. "I want to be one."

_"Len, that's it! I want to be a model when I grow up!"_

_"Model? Why? Models always wear scanty clothes..."_

_"But not all of them!"_

_"Then, name me one who doesn't."_

_"Models aren't 'body-selling' people, Len. Get that right in your head! They are talented people who can make people smile... Hey, Len... If I ever become a model, would you specially design a dress for me?"_

_"De... design?"_

_"Yeah! I want to be the first person to wear your designed outfit! Please, Len! Pretty please!"_

_"Ah... ye... yes..."_

_"Then, let's succeed together! Fulfilling our dreams and all! After that... we... we..."_

_"After that?"_

_"Hmm... It's a little embarrassing to say this."_

_"Wh... what is it?"_

_"Argh! Let's get married after that!"_

_"Wha... what are you talking about? Isn't it too... Argh! Don't be stupid!"_

_"But Len... You know it... You know that I lo..."_

"Hey dude, are you home?" a female voice cut his running thoughts and he looked up again, giving Rin a blank look.

"Ye... yeah... I'm sorry. I'm just... tired," he muttered and rubbed his forehead. "What are we talking about again?"

He let out a soft tired sigh. Rin pouted and shot him a death glare.

"Forget it!" she snapped and before she could open her mouth again, a soft sound of keys clanking against each other was heard, startling the two of them.

Then, a clicking sound was heard, followed by a squeak. No, it could not be, thought Rin in shock. Her parents should not be home that early. She stood up, looking frantically around her, and rested her eyes on the confused cab driver.

"That client was not satisfied with you in the first place and he still dared to call that an agreement. What was he thinking? Oh... Rin, we're back!"

For the love of God, Rin knew she was so doomed.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 9.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 8. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- Lukia Kagamine  
- seraphim. 159  
- Haruka-chi1**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	10. Chapter 10: Out of Her Shell

**Dreams**

_Her tears welled up in her eyes as she saw her father ripped the magazines, which she had been collecting and hiding for months, apart. The feeling of not wanting to let go of her own aspiration was painful. She knew she had to give it up, but she just could not do so. This dream meant a lot to her, a child with no freedom._

_"Rin... what is the meaning of this?"_

_Putting her tiny feet together, she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing the floor to be stained with her tears._

_"Just give up... You're not fit to be a model. Never..."_

* * *

Chapter 10: Out of Her Shell

"Oh... Rin, we're back!" She heard her mother's voice coming from the doorway. "Have you finished your report?"

Rin was dumbfounded while Len was sitting still, feeling very nervous. It was going to be his first time meeting her parents! He wondered how they were like. After how Rin talked about them, he pictured them as parents with two invisible horns on each of their heads and who ruled the household with iron fists. Speaking about iron fists, it was surprising that both of her parents did not fight for higher authority in the household.

"Rin?" This time was her father's turn to call out to her.

Rin gulped and replied in a quivering voice, "Ye... yes!"

Her parents put their shoes on the shoe rack and made their way towards the dining room where the lights were turned on, much to their annoyance. They thought Rin had carelessly left the lights on.

"Rin, have you put..."

Her father paused upon seeing his dear daughter and an unknown man in the dining room. Worst of all, that man was sitting on his usual seat.

He immediately snapped, "Intruder! Who are you? What are you doing to Rin? I will call the police!"

"Daddy..."

"Shut up, Rin! I don't care who he is but I know what he is after!"

Len blinked and pointed to himself, then pretended to muse, "Wow... so, what am I after?"

"Money!"

Rin smacked her own forehead and groaned. Here it went again. She knew it anyway. The thing which her parents could only think of was just money. It was as if the world only revolved around money.

"What?" Len sounded slightly surprise by her father's response.

"Daddy, you're wrong! He... he needed my help earlier!" Rin butted in, causing her father to glare at her.

"Oh? What kind of help was that? Look at him. He looked like nothing better than a beggar."

This time, it was Len's turn to glare at the older man. "Mind your words, Sir."

Rin nearly died upon hearing what her father had just said. It was so insulting. How could he say that to Len? Len did not look anything like a beggar! To correct her father, Len was dead gorgeous and sexy!

No, it was not the right time to think about that!

Rin shook her head in order to clear her weird thoughts away. She stood next to Len and glared at her father as her fist hit against her chest. As long as Len was next to her, she wanted to show him that she was not weak. In the first place, it was her parents who stole away her freedom. She had regained a little of it and all she wanted was to help someone whom she thought she would called a special friend.

Indeed, Len was kind of special to her.

"I can help whoever I want to help. It is not your business, Daddy," Rin retorted. "Furthermore, don't you dare to insult him!"

And there went her pride.

-:-:-:-

Her mother was taken aback by her sudden attitude which she deemed as rebellious and snapped, "Rin, how dare you..."

"Is it wrong to help a friend?" Rin interjected and took a step forward. "Tell me."

"Do you mean that guy is your friend? Don't joke with me, Rin. Didn't I tell you before that having friends is useless?"

Len stared at her father who was gritting his teeth. Her parents were scary and fierce. Both adults had many prominent white streaks of hair and light wrinkles on their faces. They looked older than he thought them to be, probably due to work stress. But that was not the point that bothered him. It was how broken the relationship between Rin and her parents was. That should not be the way.

"Please understand me... I was trying to help him with his car and he hadn't eaten yet so I... I... let him come in." As she spoke, her voice dropped to a whisper.

Len could tell that she was scared. It was not her fault by the way. It was his. He was the one who unknowingly stopped outside their residence and came in. As her father turned to look at him, he immediately straightened himself and swallowed hard. The man's hard stare looked as if he could penetrate through his body, and finally, the angry man snorted loudly.

"I can sue you for trespassing."

Len frowned at his unrealistic comment and said calmly, "But I have your daughter's permission."

"She has no right at all..."

What was wrong with this old man? Len was already screaming inside his head. This was so ridiculous! What did he mean by saying that Rin had no right at all?

"... unless she promises us that she will follow our footsteps."

There was a soft gasp coming from Rin as she held onto the back rest of the chair to prevent herself from tripping over her own left foot. She looked at her father in horror while her legs began to wobble slightly.

"Rin, your father is right. Unless you stop being so stubborn, we don't mind giving you the right to invite your friends over," her mother added.

"Is it wrong not to follow your footsteps?" Rin mumbled softly, making her voice inaudible to her parents. "I don't see what is wrong."

"Say that again," her father bellowed. "I dare you to say that again."

Biting her lower lip, Rin looked away and knitted her eyebrows closer.

"Rin Kagamine!"

Rin flinched hard and closed her eyes in fear. A while ago, she wanted to try to be defiant in front of Len so that she would not be seen as weak. But right at this moment, she had become a laughing stock to Len, showing how weak she actually was. However, how wrong was she when Len suddenly stood before her with his arm placed in front of her in a protective manner. She was utterly shocked.

"Is it wrong to be someone different?" Len questioned and his brows immediately furrowed when he saw Rin's mother rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Your daughter has been trying really hard to fulfill your wishes. But do you think she is happy with them?"

"She don't have to be happy now," Rin's father interjected. "When she gets a proper job as a lawyer in the future, she will be happy. Not only that, we will be happy. Everyone will be happy."

"I will never want to be a lawyer," Rin mumbled softly and quickly shut her mouth before her father could hear the slight quiver and anger in her tone.

But Len heard it. He knew how she felt because lost dreams were painful and could never get them back once they were missed. Unlike him, there was still hope for Rin to get her lost dreams back. He knew she could do it.

He frowned upon thinking about that. Why didn't he think about it earlier? Whether their meeting were fated or purely coincidental, there must be a reason behind it and he had somewhat known it. The reason he was here right then was because he had to help her. He believed in her dreams.

"Your daughter wants to be someone who can bring joy into other people's lives like a star. Happiness isn't all about money." Len took another step forward. "To her, happiness is about being able to let others smile."

Rin's eyes widened while her tears welled up in her eyes. Len understood her and was helping her to say those things which she had never said to her stubborn parents. She was glad... that he came into her life.

"Nonsense!" the older man shouted and waved his hand at Rin. "Rin, come here! Don't listen to this rascal!"

"No!" Rin clutched onto Len's shirt from behind and buried her face on his back.

"Rin! Why..."

"Sir," Len interrupted him as he held onto Rin's available hand and raised it up high. "How about this way? If Rin becomes a famous model within three months, you must allow her to pursue her dreams. If she fails, she will follow yours instead."

"What?" The three other Kagamines exclaimed loudly, especially Rin whose head suddenly shot up from his back.

Len smirked and looked at Rin who was gawking at him. Her jaw was hanging open from pure shock. Oh, the horror! How could Len make this type of bet? It was too risky!

"Don't joke with me, little rascal. Rin will never make it. The only path she can take is the route to be become a lawyer just like us," her father grunted. "Anyway, the sky will fall if she really does become a famous model. A model's life is difficult and is full of defamation. Our name will be definitely be tarnished as well."

"Then, she will prove you wrong, Sir. I believe she can do it," Len corrected him with a slight bow. "Please believe in her."

Rin's father clicked his tongue angrily while his wife looked down without displaying any emotions. The atmosphere turned cold as everyone remained still and quiet. It was as if time had slowed down for them. Rin tightened her grip on Len's shirt and stared at his back. Questions were running through her head like a windmill. Why was Len helping her even though they were not that close? Why was he bothering to continue to fight for her when his words were rejected? It was her dream, so she should be the one who had to fight for it.

What was her to Len?

She wanted to know it.

While she was too immerse in wondering that herself, her father suddenly grabbed her shoulder and spoke in a harsh tone, "Come here, Rin. You shouldn't be befriending this type of person. He will taint you..."

"Daddy," Rin cut his speech and shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "I want my freedom."

Her voice was shaky, partially because her body was trembling. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she let go of Len's shirt, allowing her free hand to wipe her tears off her face. Her other hand was still in Len's grasp. She mentally wished he would not let go of her. As cheesy as it sounded, she wanted Len to be with her and be her pillar of support.

"What are you talking about, Rin?" her mother queried with a frown.

"I want to be free..."

"Rin Kagamine!"

"... and I want to prove to you that I can find my own happiness using my dreams."

Rin plastered a determined smile on her tear-stained face and stood next to Len. Len saw how Rin was coming out of her tight shell on her own, looking determined and anew. She was no longer hiding her feelings and had taken a better option to face her parents, instead of doing stupid things like playing truancy in school.

"I have had enough of your ridiculous nonsense!" Her father slammed his fist against the wall and glared at the two youngsters. "Do what you want, Rin. I am sure that you'll come home one day, crying out to me that how wrong you are to be dreaming of those useless things. I'm sure of that. Listen well, Rin. You'll soon understand that what we've done for you were actually for your sake."

"Daddy..."

"Shut up! You will never ever call me Daddy until you admit that you're wrong!"

"Ah..." Rin was tongue-tied as she saw her father stomped off into his room with her mother following behind him.

With her lips pursed, she looked down on the smooth marble floor, staring at her own fuzzy reflection. Her eyes looked a little swollen and she noticed Len's hand was still holding onto hers.

She looked back up at Len and muttered softly, "What am I going to do? My parents disown me..."

"Then, take this chance to fulfill your dreams," he replied with a warm smile, dragging her out of the house and leading her to his car. "Get on now."

"Wait! Hey! What are you doing?" Rin shouted as she was being forced into the vehicle. "And where are we going? Hey, answer me!"

As soon as Len got into the cab, he started the engine and drove off. Rin looked around her frantically, as if it was her first time riding on his little cab.

"Where are we going?" she asked him again, but with slight suspicion in her voice.

"I..." Len scratched his chin and thought very hard. "I don't know either."

Upon hearing that, Rin fainted.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 10.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 9. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- seraphim. 159  
- KawaiiJelloUsagi  
- Lukia Kagamine  
- Gruesome Deaths  
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**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Random notes:**

**************- There will be a short break, or should I say hiatus, after Chapter 25. There are two parts to this story; the first part is from Chapter 1 to 25 while the second part is from Chapter 26 onwards. I am still working on the second part of this story so I am not sure if I would split the story into three/four parts instead. But anyway, I promise that the break(s) won't be so long.**

**************- If you have anything to say about my fanfics or me as a writer (be it good or bad), go to my profile and click on the survey form (a link in _italics_). Your responses will be greatly appreciated and kept confidential. Thanks!**

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11: His House

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 11: His House

"Hey, wake up."

Rin groaned and mumbled something incomprehensible as she turned her body to the side, making herself comfortable.

"Miss... wake up."

Oh, for the love of Len Kagamine, his voice was as charming as always, even in her dream. She smiled and giggled softly upon seeing his silhouette. Stretching her hand out to touch his face, she could not believe how warm he was even in her dream. She hoped that this was not a dream and if it was, she would not want to wake up at all.

She caressed his face, poked and pinched his cheeks teasingly, outlining his jawline and brushed her fingertips against his long eyelashes. All she could see that he was just looking at her with a shock expression. But he was not stopping her.

"Miss..."

"Don't call me that," she whispered. "Call me Rin."

"Are you drunk or something? Wake up, sleeping beauty! We've arrived," he said and brushed off her hand which was harassing his poor face.

Rin stared at the silhouette for a moment while her mind slowly processed his words one by one. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror and she shrieked loudly, causing Len to flinch. As usual, her face turned bright red out of embarrassment.

She had changed her mind. She wished that everything which had happened earlier was a dream. How could she do that? Len would be so disgusted by her actions!

"Now, you're awake," Len muttered and stopped the car engine. "I felt like my face has just been abused by your fingers."

"Shut up!" Rin barked and looked around her. "Where are we now?"

"At the carpark near my apartment."

"Your... your... a... apartment?"

"Yes."

She gasped dramatically and threw her hands up high. "Your apartment? What? And why?"

"Let's go." That was all he said before he stepped out of the car.

"What about... the reckless things you have said?" Rin stepped out of his car and looked at him with a frown.

"Reckless things?"

"Yes. About the stupid bet."

"About that," Len groaned as he leaned against the boot of his car. "I was... just... I don't know what I was talking about either."

"What?" Rin yelled and began stomping her feet against the rocky ground. "What are you going to do about it? Now that my parents disown me..."

Len lifted his hand and corrected, "They didn't disown you. Your father just doesn't want you to call him Daddy."

"Isn't that the same?" Rin cried. "Oh my gosh! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

She walked around in circles, pulling her hair as she chanted while Len shook his head in disbelief. He straightened his back and coughed, interrupting her cries.

"Let's go up to my apartment first and take a rest there."

Rin stopped chanting and her jaw dropped. She remembered Miku had said once before that if a man invited a woman to his house and told her to take a rest there, it meant that 'extraordinary things' would happen to her. She blushed at the thought at it.

She looked down bashfully and muttered, "He and I... extraordinary things..."

Len's eyebrow raised and he asked, "What are you talking about? If you're wondering whether there is anyone else living with me, the answer is yes. I live with my mother."

Rin looked up and gritted her teeth angrily.

"I wasn't thinking about that! I was thinking... thinking..." Her voice softened and she puffed up her cheeks while searching for an accuse to cover up for the 'extraordinary things'. "Ha! About orange pudding!"

"Oh... do you want to eat the pudding? I can ask my mother later to make some for you."

"It's okay," she said and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Len shrugged and led her to his old apartment.

-:-:-:-

"My Len has brought home a girl!"

Len covered his ears and glared at his mother who was making a huge fuss upon seeing Rin with him at the doorstep. Len had never brought anyone over to his house, except for Kaito and Meiko. That was a long time ago when he was still studying in an elementary school. But bringing home a beautiful woman was new thing for his mother. Of course, she was so excited. She might become a mother-in-law in a few years' time!

She shook her head. No, she should not be thinking about this right now. Len was still young and if he had his own family, he would not be able to handle the stress as he had to take care of her and his new family. But she still wanted to see Len's marriage before she had to go!

"She is Rin Kagamine, a friend of mine," Len introduced Rin who was looking very stressed to his overjoyed mother. "Rin, this is my mother."

"Good... Good evening!" Rin said in rapid staccato as she made a ninety degrees bow to his mother.

"Good evening, Dear," she greeted back and looked at Len with a confused look. "Len, isn't she your girlfriend?"

"Girl... girl... friend?" Rin's jaw dropped and looked at Len with wide eyes.

Len just laughed and replied, "What are you talking about, Mum? She is just a friend. Am I right, Miss?"

"Fri... friend! Right! Yeah, friends!"

Rin's face became very red as she said that and she bit her lips in happiness. Len had just called her a friend! He saw her as his friend! What else could she wish for?

"Mum, would you mind her staying over here tonight? She has... nowhere to go," Len muttered awkwardly. "As for this moment."

His mother covered her mouth to hide her shock and asked worriedly, "Why is that so?"

"She's..."

"My parents disown me," Rin answered with a pout.

"You're still on with that idea, aren't you?" Len rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Isn't that the same as disowning me?"

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

Len's mother looked at the young adults with amusement and chuckled softly. This argument reminded her of the past when her husband was still around. It was so nostalgic that she began to smile to herself, not knowing that Len and Rin had quietened down and was staring at her blankly.

"Mum, I'm going to let her sleep in my room for tonight," Len suggested.

Taken aback by his words, Rin said, "What... what about you?"

"I will sleep in the living room instead."

"Huh... that's..."

"It's okay. I know that Len doesn't mind," the older woman assured with a warm smile. "I don't know what had happened to you, but I do hope that tomorrow will be a better day for you."

Rin blushed and nodded. She hoped so too, but she had no idea what to do next. She knew that she had to seize this chance to become someone whom she had always wanted to be. However, the problem was that she did not know the first step in achieving this.

"Hey, don't think so much," Len's husky voice interrupted her worrying thoughts as if he could read her mind, making her turned to look at him. "We'll think about it tomorrow and I will try my best to help you. Well, goodnight!"

With that, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Rin sat down on the couch and rubbed her aching forehead in deep thought.

How was she going back home to take her things for the next day's lectures?

-:-:-:-

"A model, you say. Just like Luka Megurine? Hmm..."

There was a pause.

"I think I've an idea for this girl. Len, maybe we should discuss it with her."

"What kind of idea is that?"

"It's..."

"What?!"

The loud noise stirred Rin up from her sleep. She stared wearily at the empty space, trying to organise her thoughts which was messed up due to the events that had happened the night before. Sitting up on the not-so-comfy bed, she stretched her stiff back and yawned loudly. Maybe she should sleep a little longer.

"I'm sure that she'll do fine. Don't worry about her, Len. You've already done your best to help her. Now it's her turn to take another step forward by herself."

"It's... it's... argh! I'm not worried at all!"

"Len..."

"Don't anyhow say useless things!"

Rin groaned irritability by the noise again and lazily got out of bed. Dragging her feet out of the room, Rin spotted Len and his mother having their breakfast on a small wooden coffee table.

"Good... Good morning!" she greeted them with a slight bow, catching their attention. "Thanks for letting me stay over last night. I'll be heading back home now."

"Rin," a gentle voice called out to her and she immediately looked up. "Len has told me everything."

"He... did?" Rin was at a loss of words as she slowly shifted her gaze from the older woman to Len who was looking away from her.

The woman smiled warmly and answered, "Yes, and I've thought of something good for you. But it is up to you whether you're interested in it or not."

Rin tilted her head cluelessly. "What is it?"

"The modeling audition organised by ALICE Studio."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 11.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 10. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- SimplisticDreams  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- MizuneMinamiki  
- seraphim.159  
- derpwholikesaliens0  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

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**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	12. Chapter 12: Application

**Dreams**

She felt lighter than before. The stress which had been building up within her for many years was lifted up within a night. That fateful night was the day which she would never forget because without him, she would not able to open her wings fully.

Just what was him to her?

And what was her to him?

She had always wanted to know the answers since the day when they had first met...

* * *

Chapter 12: Application

Rin leaned her body against the counter and stuttered, "I... I would like to si... sign up for the mo... mo... modeling audition."

A bespectacled woman with long silvery white hair tied up into a ponytail looked up and made a soft humming sound as she slid open the drawer, taking out a piece of paper from it. She placed it in front of Rin and nodded.

"Fill up the form," she spoke rapidly and stuck a toothpick in her mouth. "And sign it."

Rin took the form and smiled. "Okay. Thanks."

"Please remember to write down your contact number so that we can inform you the date of the audition."

"Sure. Thank you," Rin said and went to a side where a small table and chair were found, then she sat down to fill up the form.

As usual, the first part of the form was to fill in her particulars. But the next part was something which she did not know too well; she was told to fill in her talents and hobbies which she apparently had none. She chewed her lips with eyes scanning around the small four-walled area, trying to think of something which she could do. As far as she could remember, she had never explore her talents or done something beyond her capability.

What about her hobbies? Was watching variety shows considered as a hobby? She thought hard and shrugged helplessly. Maybe it was considered as one since it was her pastime since young.

As she began filling up the second portion of the form, a hollow tapping sound was heard coming from afar and it was coming towards her direction. Knowing it was not her business to care about the sound, she continued looking down and filling up the 'hobbies' question. Suddenly, the sound stopped abruptly and a high pitched voice was heard.

"Hey, how are you doing today? I heard that the receptionist is sick today so you've to take over her place."

A low and monotone voice answered in reply, "I was slacking throughout the morning. I wish I can stay in my office and slack there instead."

"How sad..."

"How is she by the way? I heard that she has some problems with the movie director."

"She's weird. She is just not so happy about the kissing scene, that's all."

Feeling distracted, Rin looked up and stared at the bespectacled lady and a blonde lady who had just came in with that noisy hollow tapping sound from her high heels.

The bespectacled lady looked a little shocked and muttered to her blonde friend, "Seriously? Don't you think girls are a little... I don't know how to put it, but still, it's a movie. It's not like she is going to kiss a monster."

"Common sense, idiot. Girls want their first kisses to go to the ones they love the most," the blonde casually replied with a quick wriggle of her eyebrows.

"That girl hasn't had her first kiss yet? Wow... that's... unexpected."

"Well, I was surprised too at first when she told me about it." The blonde laughed and accidentally caught sight of Rin staring at them. "A new applicant?"

Rin immediately blushed and looked back down on the paper. She heard a soft monotone laugh which probably came from the bespectacled lady.

"You got that right. Will you give her some peace? I think she was distracted by you."

"And you too!" the blonde's pitchy voice was back, followed by a scoff.

Rin managed to fill up the form, omitting the question which asked about her talents. What else could she write? She could not sing, dance, do magic tricks, draw, or play any musical instruments. She even wondered if smoking was considered as a talent. Well, it was obviously not.

Rin stood up, walked over to the counter and placed the form on the table. The two ladies stopped chatting and looked at her.

"I'm done. Thank you," Rin said and tried her best to smile at them after listening to their awkward chat.

"Sure. You may leave now," the bespectacled woman replied dully as she took the form and slotted it into a flat plastic file. "We'll probably call you down for the audition soon."

Rin bowed and walked out of the office, unaware of the immense stare of the other blonde.

"That girl... she reminded me of someone whom I saw in a photograph recently," the blonde thought aloud after Rin had left. "Is she somehow related to her?"

"Could be. You may not know," the other lady said. "This is a small world after all."

-:-:-:-

_"Found you, Len!"_

_"Wait... How do you know I am here?"_

_"What do you mean? Didn't I say that I will find you no matter where you go or how far we are?"_

_"No, you didn't say anything about that."_

_"I did! You're just forgetful!"_

_"You're just making things up."_

_"Meanie! Ah... Len... if I were to go missing one day or go somewhere where it is impossible to reach me, will you still find me?"_

_"Are you still on your disgustingly cheesy mood again today?"_

_"Answer me, Len!"_

_"Well... of... of course, I will find you... It's... It's..."_

_"It's a small world after all, right?"_

'Knock!'

Len flinched in his driver seat. His heavy eyelids slowly moved up, revealing Rin's face right in front of him but behind the rear glass panel. Rin knocked on the panel again and her mouth moved as if she was trying to tell him something. He unlocked the door and Rin quickly stepped inside the vehicle.

"Are you feeling tired? You were asleep and it's no good to sleep in the car like this. It will affect your health," Rin chided as soon as she buckled her seat belt.

Len snorted, "It was only for a while. Don't make a huge fuss over it. By the way, how is it?"

"Do you mean the application?"

Len nodded.

"I filled everything up, except for a question regarding about my talents," Rin replied with a sheepish laugh. "What do you think I should have written?"

"Heavy mood swings," Len muttered softly, but luckily, Rin could not hear him.

Rin raised her eyebrows curiously and moved her face closer to him. "What did you just say?"

"Noth... nothing..."

Rin leaned backwards and sighed. She was so sure that Len did mention about something. Maybe he was too evil to say it out loud and clear. Or maybe he was too shy to repeat what he had said to her again. She blushed. Maybe Len did know some of her hidden talents which she had yet to discover by herself.

"Hey."

Rin looked at Len again.

"Where do you want to go now? Do you want me to take you home to get your stuff for school?"

She raised her hands and grinned. "Ah... about that, I'll go to school empty-handed."

"Are you serious? Don't you need a pen and a piece of paper to take down notes?"

"I... I'm not ready," Rin lowered her voice as she looked at her laps. "To return home... not just yet."

Len frowned. "What are you going to do now? Going for lectures empty-handed is not a right thing to do."

There was silence. Rin stared moodily outside the window while Len stepped on the pedal and started driving.

"Well, as you wish, I will take you to school but I'll lend you a pencil and give you a few pieces of blank paper."

"Pencil and papers?"

"Yes, that's all I have with me."

Of course, she did not mind about the few things he would lent her at all. She was just touched that Len was actually caring for her.

"You know, you don't have to do that," she muttered and rested her head against the glass panel. "I don't like studying Law anyways."

Len frowned and lectured her in a fake stern manner, "No matter what, your studies are still important. Even being a model must have some brains in him or her."

Upon hearing that, Rin grunted and pouted at him. She thought Len was helping her, but instead, he sounded like her father who kept emphasising on her studies. As she looked out of the window grumpily, her tired eyes slowly closed and she drifted into her dreamland.

It was going to be a long day ahead.

-:-:-:-

Meiko dragged her feet out of the lecture hall, feeling extremely exhausted by the huge amount of information being forced into her brain in the past one hour of lecture. Furthermore, the lecturer was boring and monotonous. She took a look at her watch and sighed. She wanted to spend her long break drinking with Rin but it seemed like Rin had not arrived school yet. What a pity.

"Sakine," a low voice called out to her. "I would like to speak to you for a minute."

Meiko turned around and saw the 'boring' lecturer looking at her with a stern expression. Despite that, Meiko returned him a frown and dragged her feet towards him.

"Regarding your previous assignment draft, you've written it out of point," he started. "Read the question again and follow the assignment descriptors as you do the second draft."

"Yes, Professor Hiyama."

Kiyoteru Hiyama, her so-called boring lecturer, cleared his throat and added, "Not all lecturers are as kind as me, Miss Sakine. You should really put in a lot of effort in your second draft. If you're under other lecturers, he or she won't be kind enough to allow you to have another try. If there are any uncertainties, you can always come to see me for consultations."

Meiko inwardly cursed this man here. She had done her best in writing that long draft and had spent three nights to complete it. Yet, he would not spare a thought for her effort. So what if he was kind? Wasn't he just the same as the others? Picky, unforgiving, boring, not generous, and not to mention about his looks. He looked seriously plain like a nerd with think glasses. At least, Kaito looked way better than him.

"Miss Sakine..."

"Thanks, Professor! I'll do my best!" Meiko pretended to be grateful and enthusiastic about re-doing her assignment. "Bye."

With that, she walked briskly away from Kiyoteru. As she headed towards the library, she spotted Kaito standing in front of the book drop with a few books in his hand and he carefully slotted the books one by one into the small rectangular gap on the wall.

A strange bubbly feeling built up within her chest as she began smiling to herself. She smacked her lips and took in a deep breath.

"Alright," she muttered to herself before calling out to him. "Kai..."

"Shion!" a loud and high pitchy voice interrupted hers, directing her attention away from Kaito.

Miku ran out of the library with a book in her hands and stood next to Kaito excitedly. Meiko's face fell. She saw how Kaito chuckled at whatever words Miku whispered into his ear. That pain in her chest was back again.

Miku had probably found her happiness. Attempting to smile at the scene before her, she took a step back, pressed her fist against her hurting chest, and dragged her feet away.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 12.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 11. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- MizuneMinamiki  
- derpwholikesaliens0  
- seraphim. 159**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	13. Chapter 13: Booked

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 13: Booked

Rin stuck out her hand towards Len and demanded, "Money. I want more money. Give me more money."

"Shut up. That amount should be enough for a day," Len grunted and kept his wallet into his pocket.

Rin looked at the paper notes in her hands and pouted. Sure, it could last her a day. But the amount was so little that she could only buy two basic meals for herself.

"Be a kind soul and lend me," she grumbled with a glare. "I promise you that I will return you the money the next time."

"If I can survive with that amount, so can you."

"Why are you so stingy? I'm still a growing young adult! I need to eat more than you should!"

Len raised his right eyebrow and asked with suspicion, "Oh, are you sure that you're going to spend it on food?"

Rin blushed and looked away. Of course, she had lied. It was so obvious.

"Are you sure?" Len dragged his words teasingly and smirked. "Give me an answer, Miss."

"I... I want to buy... cigarettes..."

Len coughed and his expression went dull. He opened the boot of his car and took out a few papers and stationeries from a little basket before handing them to Rin.

"Will you be returning straight home after school?" Len questioned. "You know, you can't always stay at my residence."

Rin clenched her fists and mumbled, "Why... not? As you know, I'm not ready to return home yet. Are you going to leave me alone?"

"What?"

"Nothing!" she snapped and stuck out her tongue at him.

"I'm sure you..."

"Rin!" a voice interrupted Len and Rin immediately turned to look at the running figure heading towards them.

"Meiko!" Rin called out and waved frantically at her. "Are you free now?"

"Yes!"

Meiko stopped right in front of them and panted heavily. She leaned against the cab and wriggled her eyebrows at Len with a smirk.

"Hey, are you going out with Rin? Sending her to school early in the morning is kind of cool and romantic, don't you think so? I wish Rin could share some of her privilege with me," Meiko joked and upon seeing how Len cringed, she stifled a laugh.

"Meiko, what are you talking about? I happened to stay over at his..."

"I happened to see her on my way to work just now so I decided to give her a lift," Len interjected and nodded at Rin. "And it seems that she forgot to bring her lecture notes."

Trying to act along with him, Rin nodded too and made a sad face.

She added in a sad voice, "I overslept too. Thanks to this guy here, I'm slightly early today."

There was no way she could mention about the audition to Meiko, even though they were good friends. If she told her, what would her response be? Meiko had known about her dream a long time ago but if she were to tell Meiko about the audition, Meiko would definitely be shocked since her parents had never allowed her to follow her own dreams. Meiko might get suspicious over the matter too. Rin thought it should be the best to remain silent until it was the right moment to tell Meiko instead.

Len looked around and wondered aloud, "Hmm... Where is Kaito? I thought the two of you are always together."

Meiko stiffened by his words and gulped. The image of Miku and Kaito outside the library earlier flashed in her mind. The weird feeling was back in her chest.

Stifling a laugh again, she said, "He's with Miku."

"Miku?" Len repeated the name cluelessly.

Meiko frowned and helped him to recall who she was. "It's that beauty with two long ponytails."

Len scratched his chin and tried to recall the girl, but he just could not remember who she was. He had to admit that he had poor memory.

"Hey, I got to go now!" Rin looked at her watch and nudged Len's arm. "Pick me up after my lessons have ended."

"What..."

"I'll book the evening slot. Do reserve it for me!" She grinned cheekily at him and grabbed the astonished Meiko's arm, then walked away with a light blush on her cheeks.

Len shook his head and sighed. After closing the boot, he entered his vehicle and drove away. Meanwhile, as Meiko was being dragged away by Rin, she could not help but to wonder about Rin's obvious blush. Previously, Rin was looking very flustered when she had mentioned about Len. Was there something going on between them?

"Hey, Rin."

Rin stopped walking and stared at Meiko questionably.

"What is your relationship with Len?"

"Eh..." Rin looked down and tightened her grip around the rolled papers. "I don't know... maybe just friends?"

-:-:-:-

_"If I become a model one day, will you support me?"_

_"Of course, I will."_

_"Then, will you be... my fan?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Just a fan?"_

_"Yup... why? Don't you want me to be your fan? What else do you want me to be? You know, friends can be your fans too."_

_"Len... can we be... more than just friends?"_

_"More than just friends?"_

_"Yeah, because... I..."_

"Kagamine!"

Len flinched and stared at the fuming man in front of him.

"What happened to you, young man? You're always zoning out nowadays." His supervisor sat next to him and stared hard at him. "Is it because of your mother?"

Len shook his head and remained silent. The man was right. He had been spacing out a lot these few weeks. Maybe because he was tired from working. But did he really have a choice? He had to earn the money for his family, support his mother and pay for almost everything that was necessary.

"Hey, I heard that the orange puddings made by your mother are delicious," his supervisor whispered. "If your mother makes orange puddings again, please let me have a try."

Len chuckled.

"Sure, Sir."

That reminded him of his promise with Rin the night before that he would tell his mother to make some orange pudding for her. But he had forgotten to tell his mother about it. How bothersome...

"Don't space out ever again," his supervisor warned and patted Len's back before walking away to talk to other cab drivers.

Chuckling weakly to himself, Len stood up and headed towards his car. It was time to work again.

-:-:-:-

Gakupo flipped through a manga and thought aloud, "I wonder how Luka looks like as Madam Tsu. Madam Tsu is so pretty and clever here."

Rin moved closer to Gakupo and took a look at the manga, Beyond Reality. If she remembered correctly, this was the manga which Luka was going to act in a drama series. As her fan, Rin was willing to support this drama a hundred percent. While thinking about this, Rin wondered whether she could have a chance to act in a drama series too if she became a model. That would be fun, she thought to herself with a small smile.

"I advice you not to watch that show," Meiko warned Gakupo with a smirk. "Because Madam Tsu is going to kiss the Boss towards the end of the first arc. In fact, they kissed in the tenth chapter of the manga."

Gakupo cringed with disgust upon hearing the 'spoiler'. He was only at the third chapter of the story and the news about Madam Tsu kissing the protagonist made him feel like doodling the face of the lucky male character.

He slammed his head down on the book and he cried, "My Luka... oh, my Luka... She's going to kiss someone else..."

"It's just acting, Kamui. Luka won't be really kissing the guy." Rin tried to calm him down and started fanning him with her hands. "Besides, according to the manga, Madam Tsu and the Boss only kissed three times within five arcs. And the drama series will feature these five arcs. So, it's okay!"

"Thr... three times?!" Gakupo's head flew up and he bit his lips tightly, as if he was trying to hold himself back. "Luka is going to kiss him three freaking times!"

Meiko laughed at his priceless expression while Rin shook her head hopelessly. Gakupo slammed his head against the book once more and groaned loudly. Just then, Kaito and Miku plopped down next to Gakupo with a tray of food each.

"You're late," Meiko said and wriggled her eyebrows at Miku. "I wonder what's going on."

Miku's face turned red and began stuffing spoonfuls of rice into her mouth.

Kaito looked at Meiko cluelessly and answered, "Miku accompanied me to see the head mistress."

Almost instantly, Rin choked on her cold drink and began coughing violently before she hissed angrily, "That old hag?"

"You do hold a terrible grudge against the head mistress, don't you?" Miku giggled. "Well, I can understand."

"Why did you see her?" Meiko asked Kaito.

"Actually... someone has stolen my bike in the campus... and I've to report it to her," Kaito replied and he looked down sadly on his plate of food. "I guess I've to walk home later."

"I'll walk home with you!" Miku suggested with a huge grin.

Meiko nodded and teased, "Maybe your bike is fated to be lost. Am I right, Miku?"

Instead of replying her, Miku pouted at Meiko in response. On the other hand, Kaito sighed deeply and poked his dried fish with his chopsticks.

"It will trouble you, Hatsune. Anyway, I know how to go home myself. It's just... just that it's quite far away," Kaito muttered softly. "By the way, thanks for accompanying me."

Miku furrowed her eyebrows together for a moment and then she started giggling while saying, "You're welcome."

Rin continued to stare at Kaito's downcasted face and thought hard.

"Shion." Rin nudged his arm, earning her a curious and astonished look from him. "I have an idea."

Kaito stopped poking his fish and asked, "What is it?"

"Since I've already booked a cab, you can have a ride with me," Rin offered with a sweet smile. "I will pay for everything. Don't worry."

Kaito blushed and muttered, "That's..."

Rin interrupted him, "It's all right, Shion."

"Wait..."

"Kaito, don't worry," Meiko cut him before he could say anything more. "Len is the cab driver."

"Huh? Len?" Kaito looked at Meiko with wide eyes and then he shifted his gaze to Rin. "Wo... Wow... that's... great... Thanks..."

After forcing his words out of his mouth, Kaito looked back down on his plate of dried fish with an uncomfortable look.

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 13.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 12. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- seraphim. 159  
- MethAddict11111111  
- Isabella314  
- Gruesome Deaths  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**Preview of the next chapter:**

"That girl... she's really doing it, isn't she? How stupid. There is no way she could even become a model. Even if she could be one, she will just fall and return back home crying."

"You seem to enjoy harassing my face. I'm driving, mind you."

"Hey, the two of you... are quite close. Are the both of you already friends?"

"We're... friends, aren't we? But... yesterday... you said that I'm your friend."

"Why did you come back? Ha... you've finally realised that modelling is not suitable for you, right? That's fast."

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	14. Chapter 14: Ride

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 14: Ride

_"Hello. May I speak to Rin Kagamine?"_

"She's not in. May I know who is calling?"

_"We're calling from ALICE Studio. Rin Kagamine has signed up for the modelling audition this morning and we would like to inform her that the date of her audition is on..."_

"Shut up! Rin Kagamine will never be interested in this!"

With that, the angry father slammed the phone down and his fists trembled. His wife stared at him for a brief moment as she sipped her coffee and then smiled crudely.

"That girl... she's really doing it, isn't she? How stupid. There is no way she could even become a model," she spoke in a whispering voice and took another sip of her coffee. "Even if she could be one, she will just fall and return back home crying."

-:-:-:-

Len's mouth twitched at her seemingly cute pleading face and he faced his childhood friend who was standing next to her with a weary smile. Why was Kaito here? Did she book his evening schedule for fun? He had work to do!

"Look, I will explain," Rin started. "Shion has lost his bike and he lives quite far from here. So, he needs a ride."

"I'm sorry, Len. I'm sorry to trouble you and Kagamine." Kaito bowed down and looked up to see Len's response. "Len..."

Len tousled his hair with a sigh and replied tiredly, "It's fine. Please hop in."

The three of them got into the cab; Rin sat at the front next to Len while Kaito sat on the passenger seat.

As soon as Rin entered the cab, she said, "After driving Kaito home, will you drop me off at my residence?"

"Why? Do you suddenly miss home?" Len gave her a teasing smirk. "I knew it though. Anyway, if that is the case, it's fine with me."

"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong!" Rin interjected and shook her hands frantically. "I want to tell my parents about it... because I wrote my home phone number on the form."

"Wrong move, Miss. I got a bad feeling about this. You should have written otherwise."

"Like what?"

"My phone number."

"As if I would know your contact number! You didn't tell me!"

Len let out a soft chuckle.

At the back, one could see, hear and feel everything. Their movements, the way they talked to each other, the way they treated each other were different from what Kaito had expected them to be. They were closer than before when they had met during the karaoke session. Rin was laughing and was talking more than she usually would, whereas Len was teasing and speaking normally to her which he usually would not. Maybe he did, but not with the teasing because as long as Kaito had known him, Len was a socially-awkward and serious person.

"But if you return home, I can rest in peace with my pillow tonight," Len spoke in a dramatic tone, earning a shriek from Rin.

"Your pillow stinks!"

"Well, that's because I drool on it every night." Len grinned at her as he said that calmly.

Rin blushed furiously and stuttered in embarrassment, "Shut... Shut up! Your pillow... is... is... so... soaked with yo... your sweat!"

Kaito raised his eyebrows and frowned in deep thought. Something was fishy about their relationship. Had they been seeing each other ever since their gathering session?

"Just admit that you enjoy sniffing it," Len joked with a laugh and Rin immediately pinched his arm.

"Hey, the two of you... are quite close," Kaito broke their conversation. "Are the both of you already friends?"

Kaito nearly wanted to hit his head against the window panel. Of course, they were already friends judging by the way they talked to each other. It sounded as if they were flirting. He shuddered. Flirting was probably not the right word to describe their behaviour. Neither did he want to think about it.

He continued to witness Rin's face turning a darker shade of red as she pressed her fingertips against her lips. He had to admit that Rin looked so innocent and adorable when she did that.

"We're... friends." Rin paused and looked at Len shyly. "Aren't we?"

"Hmm? No, we are not," Len replied in his usual low husky voice which always caused Rin's stomach to do a flip.

"But... yesterday... you said that I'm your friend," she sounded very disappointed.

"Did I? I can't remember."

Kaito noticed Rin's bashfulness vanishing in a split second and she started yelling in the car with her arms swinging around in mid-air like a crazy person, "Yes, you did! Yes, you did! You sissy old man!"

"Kaito, don't listen to her. She's crazy." Len pointed at Rin as he looked at the rear mirror to see Kaito's confused gaze at the both of them. "Is she always like that?"

"Ah... nope," Kaito muttered and looked away while rubbing his chin. "But she is... always... looking for trouble."

Rin turned her head around and yelled again, "What?!"

"To be expelled, I mean," Kaito continued with a cheeky grin.

Len shook his head in feign dismay, muttering softly to himself, "What a bad girl."

"Shut up!" Rin shrieked after hearing his soft comment and punched his arm with her fist. "I don't need your comment for that!"

"Hey! That hurts! I'm driving, you know!"

Kaito laughed but his laughter soon died down as he continued to observe Rin from behind. Those expressions he saw through the rear mirror was different from what he had seen everyday in school. His childhood friend could make her face go beet red, and he could also make her have all sorts of expressions which he had never seen before.

Could someone tell him what their relationship was again?

-:-:-:-

Len stepped on the brakes and said, "So, we're here. Have a good rest, Kaito."

"Thank you." Kaito took out his wallet from his bag but he was immediately stopped by Rin.

"Shion, like I said, I'll pay for the ride."

"But..."

"Don't worry. Even if it is Len, he will give you a free ride," Rin assured Kaito, then she nudged Len. "Am I right?"

Pretending to smile at the lady in front of him, Len replied softly with a slight nod, "I will give Kaito a free ride... but not you, Miss."

Rin gave him a glare and snorted. How bias could this cab driver get? And she knew that he was giving her that fake and annoying smile of his. If he was thinking that she could not differentiate his fake smile with his genuine smile, he was so wrong. His real smile was so much sexier than his fake smile. Yes, even his fake smile was gorgeous to her. But the feeling was different when he gave her a sincere smile, or maybe a teasing smirk, she would have an urge to wrap her arms around his neck, bring his head closer, lick his lower lip and bite it... tenderly.

She did not mind if she could ravished him whole either.

"Ehh... Kagamine, thanks. I will give you a treat the next time. Goodbye, guys," Kaito interrupted her dirty thoughts before she heard a soft slamming sound coming from behind.

Rin turned around and waved to Kaito before looking at Len with a hard stare.

"Give me a free ride too!" She pouted and looked away with a blush. "I will treat you to something as well."

"Really?" Len sounded unconvinced. "But I didn't say I will give both of you free rides, did I ?"

"Huh? Don't act like an old man who has dementia."

"Did I? Maybe I am really going senile..."

Even his cheekiness was as annoying as ever, yet as cute as his dazzling cerulean eyes.

Dismissing the fact that he was still continuing his cheeky talk, she continued to stare at him in daze. Her eyes were locked onto his ones, even though he was not looking at her. His eyes seemed to glitter under the orange evening sun, or perhaps he being cheeky was the reason why they sparkled so handsomely.

Unknowingly, her hands slowly reached out to his face, touched his surprisingly broad chin, traced upwards and poked his unbelievable soft cheek.

For the love of God, everything about him was so attractive to be true...

"You seem to enjoy harassing my face," his husky voice broke her sensual fantasy. "I'm driving, mind you."

She blinked and noticed what she had done. With a soft shriek, she immediately withdrew her hand and glared daggers at him. Since when did he start driving?

"There's... an ant on your face! And I helped you to get rid of it!" She crooked a smile and brushed her fingers against her blouse. "It's not harassing. It's called helping a friend."

She emphasised the word 'friend' by dragging it long enough to make Len groaned in annoyance. It was so obvious that she was trying to harass his face for the second time. Yes, that was her second time touching his face. Not only was she bipolar, she was also touchy-feely.

"We're here," Len suddenly spoke as he stepped on the brake pedal, stopping his cab outside Rin's residence. "Get everything done with before coming out. I'll wait for you here."

Rin turned to look at him anxiously. Her mouth opened slightly but was immediately closed, as if she was trying to stop herself from saying something. Instead, she gave him another crooked smile and cleared her throat.

"Well... you better wait here or else, I will never forgive you for making my parents disown me," she said with her arms crossed.

Upon hearing that, Len's face fell. "You're still on with that idea, aren't you?"

Shrugging his words off, she chuckled, stepped out of the vehicle, and muttered, "I'll be right back."

After he saw her entering into her house, Len let out a heavy sigh and slammed his head against the steering wheel. Just when he had thought that Rin had finally agreed to return home, though it was to tell her parents about the audition, why did he said that he would be waiting for her outside her residence?

He should have leave her alone and driven off. Anyway, it was her dream to be a model, not his in the first place.

But why...?

-:-:-:-

"Rin... you..."

Rin stuffed her keys into her pocket and greeted her shocked parents with a small smile, whereas her parents were standing at the foyer, looking stunned and speechless.

"Mummy, Daddy, good evening."

"Why did you come back? Ha... you've finally realised that modelling is not suitable for you, right?" Her father held his stomach and laughed mockingly. "That's fast."

Her mother walked closer to Rin, placed her hand on Rin's shoulder and muttered, "It's great that you've woken up, Rin."

Shaking her head slightly, Rin gently brushed her mother's hand off her shoulder and then hit her own chest with a look of determination.

Rin began, "I've applied for the modelling audition and I'm going to pass it. Just wait and see, Mummy, Daddy. I will prove to you that I can do it."

"How persistent..."

"Please excuse me." Rin bowed to them and headed into her room soon after, leaving her parents fuming in anger at the foyer.

"That girl... she is going to get it..."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 14.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 13. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- seraphim. 159  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- MizuneMinamiki  
- XxKAGAMiNEMiRRORS002xX  
- LucyHeartfilia125  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	15. Chapter 15: Her Stay

**Dreams**

_"I'm sorry. I can't make it... for your first debut. Your costume... I'm sorry... I've no time to do it for you at all."_

_"Len..."_

_"I'm sorry."_

* * *

Chapter 15: Her Stay

Rin opened the drawer and eyed longingly at her one and only cigarette pack inside. She closed her eyes and shut the drawer close. Shaking her head, she opened it again and stared at her little treasure with lots of tension drawing out from her. She looked away, gritting her teeth furiously, then she looked back with beady eyes.

"Fine! I'll smoke when I'm outside!" Rin took the packet and threw it into her luggage. "That senile cab driver won't know if I secretly smoke outside. Anyway, I won't be smoking in his apartment."

She grinned evilly and snickered with her mouth covered, trying to prevent her parents from hearing her. She grabbed her pillow which was lying on the floor and picked up her luggage before leaving her room. Her parents were still in the foyer, as if expecting her to appear sooner or later. But it was true. She had already made up her mind to leave this household until she decided to return.

"Rin, that luggage..."

"I'm sorry." Rin bowed to her parents again. "As promise, I'll leave here unless I couldn'tt live up to the bet. Just three months... I am going to do my best."

Her mother's eyes widened as she stood a step forward and cried, "You couldn't be that serious, Rin! Three months? What can you actually do within that short period of time? Models don't get famous within a blink of an eye! Think realistically, Rin Kagamine! Just listen to us! We're providing everything for you! With us, you can be famous in many other areas. You don't have to be..."

"Being a model isn't about being famous," Rin interrupted. "You don't understand anything, Mummy!"

"If you want to leave here, just leave! I don't want to see your face anymore!"

Rin and her mother turned to look at the fuming man who was pointing at the door. He was panting heavily with his fists clenched tightly.

"Get out! And chase the air!"

Rin tightened her grip around her pillow as she was trying to refrain her tears from coming out. She was not sure if she was scared, sad, or relieved, any of which could be the reason why she felt like crying. Putting that aside, she forced a grin and bowed again.

"Thank you, Daddy." She straightened up and headed towards the door, then she turned around to have a last look at her distraught parents. "Please inform me when ALICE Studio calls. Thank you again."

With that, she left with tears in her eyes as she had a smile plastered on her determined face.

-:-:-:-

"I'm so stupid! Why didn't I think of that?" Rin shrieked and hit her head against the wall many times while Len and his mother just stared at her in disbelief. "My parents cannot contact me even if ALICE Studio calls my house number! I'm so stupid!"

"Ha! Stupid," Len mocked and snickered softly, but his leg was immediately kicked by Rin.

"What am I going to do? What if... what if I'm not meant to be a model at all? Fate set me up like this so that I must forgo this dream."

"You're just thinking too much, Dear." Len's mother tried to calm Rin down. "Besides, I'm sure there is another way to go about this problem."

Rin turned to look at the woman and asked curiously, "Like what?"

Len's mother rubbed her chin as she wondered aloud, "Maybe... call the studio..."

"Ah!" Rin shouted and stood up enthusiastically. "You're right, Ma'am! Why didn't I think of that? I think I've the office number. I will directly call the staffs and tell them about my alternate contact number! Thanks, Ma'am!"

"Sure..."

Len leaned against the couch and questioned in disbelief, "How did you even make it into Law Studies?"

"Hmm?" Paying no attention to his words, Rin picked up the house phone and looked at Len quizzically. "Did you just say something?"

"No, maybe it's just the wind," he shot back sarcastically. "And whose contact number are you going to give them?"

"Yours, of course."

"What? Hey! Not my handphone number!" Len cleared his throat and glared at her. "Wait... do you even know my handphone number?"

"Oh yeah..." Rin scratched her head in embarrassment and started laughing awkwardly. "So... what's your contact number?"

Len's face fell and hit against his palm, letting out a soft groaned as he muttered, "I am not telling you."

Upon hearing that, Rin's jaw dropped.

"You... you... you..."

"Dear, why don't you use my house number instead?" Len's mother wrote something down on a small strip of paper and handed the paper to Rin. "Here you go. You can use it."

Rin blushed and whispered, "You... don't mind?"

The mother smiled warmly and replied, "Of course, I don't mind. Unlike stupid Len."

Len cleared his throat again, glaring at the two sniggering ladies in front of him. Rin quickly dialed for the office of ALICE Studio and almost immediately, someone picked up the call.

"Hello, this is Rin Kagamine, one of those who applied for the audition. I'm sorry that I have to make some changes in my personal particulars..."

"Oh... It's Rin Kagamine," a familiar monotone female voice was heard over the line. "I think I called you this afternoon but a man told me that you aren't interested in the audition."

"Eh? You did call?" Rin was shocked and looked at Len with a desperate look. "My parents didn't tell me anything."

There was a brief silence before the woman continued, "So, are you still interested?"

"Ye... Yes!"

"Good... the date of the audition is..."

-:-:-:-

"Don't you think it's prudent for a man to allow a girl to sleep on his bed?"

"I knew it. I should have left you alone."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?"

"Because of you, I have to sleep on the couch. Go home, Miss."

"Because of you, my parents ditch me! Take responsibility, young man!"

"I want my pillow back..."

"There! You can have it! I have brought mine along."

"Hey! Don't throw... Ouch!"

In the other bedroom, Len's mother cringed upon hearing a loud slam coming from her son's room. Ever since Rin had stepped into their lives, the house was very noisy. One could hear Rin's shrieks and shouts, mainly due to Len's teases and stubbornness. And she had to act as their middleman to prevent them from starting childish quarrels. Yes, childish was probably the right word to describe them. They were like elementary school children, arguing over minor stuffs like the bed.

She got out of bed and opened the door, only to see Len lying on the floor with a pillow covering his face. The door of his bedroom was closed too. Well, it was obvious that Len was chased out of his own bedroom in the end.

"Len, go and sleep in the living room," she said sternly. "Be a man."

Len immediately removed his pillow and stared at his mother with puppy eyes. "Not you too, Mum."

Her eyes narrowed at her son and she repeated slowly, "Be a man."

Len cringed in annoyance and sat up cross-legged with his arms crossed.

"The two of you really look like siblings, looking so alike and always getting into useless fights. I wonder if fate does pull us together to live like a family." His mother chuckled and slowly closed the door. "It's good to be noisy, but not this late, children. It's really past midnight and our neighbours might complain."

Then, she closed the door, leaving Len sitting on the floor, sulking.

"And now, she treats us like children," he grumbled and looked at his bedroom. "Fine... I'll sleep on the couch. Are you happy now, Miss Kagamine?"

Having received no response from Rin, he stood up and headed towards the living room. Meanwhile, Rin was pressing her ear against the door with a flustered look. Did Len's mother just say that they looked like siblings? Of course, she did! Rin shook her head and moved her head away from the door.

She cupped her reddened cheeks and muttered softly to herself, "Len and I... siblings..."

She giggled and leaned her body against the door. She could not believe it. She was staying at Len's apartment and sleeping in his bedroom. She bet that it was every girl's dream to sleep in a hot guy's bedroom.

Hot...

She immediately stood up and banged her head hard against the nearby wall.

"Rin... that senile cab driver is no hot guy!" her voice came out coarse but soft enough for herself to hear only. "As if it's my dream to sleep in his bedroom!"

She stomped towards the bed and sat on it while hugging her pillow. She scanned the room. His room was surprisingly neat for a boy, except for a small box situated near a wardrobe with lots of things sticking out of it. Curious, Rin put down the pillow, walked over and took a look inside. There were a few notebooks, old fashion magazines, small pieces of pink cloths and a sewing kit.

Her eyebrows raised. To correct herself, Len's room was not only surprisingly neat, but also contained girlie things. And pink cloths? Did Len like pink? What a horror! It was as if Len was trying to make clothes for a Barbie doll.

She gasped loudly and quickly shook her head to clear her absurd thoughts. Did Len even have a doll? She covered her mouth and her wide ocean-blue eyes scanned the room again. What if he really owned a doll? Did that means it was here somewhere? Why would a hot guy keep dolls in the first place?

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, causing Rin to jump in fright. She stumbled across the room and opened the door almost instantly. Staring at her face to face was none other than the 'hot' guy whom she had just mentioned- Len Kagamine. Her jaw dropped and she slammed the door shut without thinking.

"Hey, open up!" Len knocked the door harder with his fist. "I want to get something."

Rin bit her lips. Why did she respond in that way? Why was she getting all flustered in the first place? Why must Len appear just when she was about to find out about his doll fetish? That Len Kagamine!

"Open up or else, I will just enter..."

"Shut up!" Rin shouted and opened the door. "Hurry up and get what you want! I'm going to sleep!"

"Thank you." Len smiled at her as he walked in and took his blanket which was on his bed. "I'll be taking this, Miss. I do hope that you've brought your blanket along."

Gaping at the grinning man who was heading towards to door, she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot angrily.

"You do think you're a hot man, don't you? You're so wrong, Sir! Taking the blanket away, leaving a poor girl shivering in the cold! Is that how you even treat a girl?"

Len could only watch her in rage with wide innocent eyes before his lips started to curl into a smirk.

"Yeah, I think I'm hot. Don't you think so?" he said in his usual low husky voice and Rin immediately stopped stomping her foot.

Her face turned a darker shade of red as she looked at him. She looked so embarrassed and vulnerable that Len felt very bad for teasing her. Nevertheless, her expression was funny. Chuckling to himself, he waved to her and walked back to the living room. Then, he heard a loud slam coming from his bedroom.

Well, it was obvious that Rin was throwing her temper again. As he lay down on the couch, he began to wonder why Kaito would like this woman. What was so good about her?

'Beep!'

"Hmm?" Len stared at his handphone quizzically and he slowly picked it up. "A message from Kaito?"

That was rare. It had been a long time since Kaito messaged him. He opened the message curiously and found himself in a somewhat intangible mess.

_'Hello Len, are you free on Friday night? There is something important I need to talk to you. Please reply. -Kaito'_

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 15.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 14. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- LucyHeartfilia125  
- Lukia Kagamine  
- derpwholikesaliens0  
- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- seraphim. 159  
- DarkestThingInTheLight  
- Guest  
- MizuneMinamiki  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**Preview of the next chapter:**

_Chapter 16: Suspicion_

_"Thank you for the ride, Shion," Rin said and bowed to him politely._

_He immediately turned to her with a smile and asked, "You're welcome. But... is this where you really live?"_

_Her body stiffened._

_"Why? Of course... I mean, I'm temporary staying here," her voice quivered and she started laughing weakly, trying to hide her anxiety._

_Well, that was obvious._

_"Len lives here."_

_She nodded frantically and blurted, "Yeah, I know. I'm staying with hi..."_

_Her eyes widened as she immediately closed her mouth. She saw how Kaito's smile vanished right on the spot and his face was replaced with a frown within a split second. What was she going to do? Kaito might get the wrong idea._

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	16. Chapter 16: Suspicion

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 16: Suspicion

Gakupo looked unusually cheerful ever since that morning. He had that large beam spread across his face and he greeted everyone he met along the hallway. He looked so gentle, friendly and trimmed. Not that he was a messy and not an affable person, he was just behaving the extreme sides of his usual self and he had made everyone shiver at the sight of him.

"Kamui, you look happy today. What's up?" Miku asked with hint of suspicion in her voice. "Let me guess. It got to do with Luka Megurine."

"Bingo!" Gakupo shouted gleefully and ruffled Miku's hair. "Hatsune is always spot on!"

Groaning in displeasure, Miku rolled her eyes and brushed his hand away.

Kaito shook his head with a chuckle and said, "Gakupo is taking part in the modelling audition and his audition is this Friday night, the first day."

Miku jumped up in surprise. "Ah! That means..."

"My Lulu will be there!" Gakupo interrupted her with his arms in the air.

Rin's head sprang up upon hearing that and she gaped at Gakupo. Did he just say that the famous model Luka Megurine would be present on the first day of the audition? That was so cool!

Meiko put on a face of disgust and muttered, "Lu... lu..."

"That's so cool! Be sure to take her autograph! Get one for me too!" Miku squealed.

Gakupo smugged. "Don't worry, Hatsune. Actually, I wanted to join the audition because of her. I even negotiated with the staff there and then she offered me the first day. Isn't that great? I can get to see Luka. Imagine if I can take a photo with her, I will definitely put it as my wallpaper."

"And everyone will call you an obsessed stalker," Meiko remarked.

"Don't be so bad, Meiko. It's a rare opportunity which many people are dying for," Miku said and looked at Rin who was staring at Gakupo with wide eyes. "Rin... I... I understand how you feel... You are not allowed to take part in this audition, right?"

Rin flinched and looked at Miku. Rin opened her mouth trying to say something but she immediately shut it. She was not sure if she should tell them too. Maybe she should, because Gakupo would be there as well. What was there to lie to her friends?

"I'm... taking part in this too," she spoke in a soft voice and looked down to avoid their gazes. "The audition... first day..."

"Wha... what? First day? Same as me?" Gakupo looked at Rin excitedly. "That is so fantastic! We can stalk Luka together!"

As Gakupo began to chatter about his absolute plan on how to grab Luka's attention, the other three friends stared at Rin, looking very flabbergasted. Everyone remained silent, except for the excited man who was blabbering away about his idol.

After awhile, Meiko was the first to talk, "April Fool's Day is over, Rin."

"I know how badly you wanted to be a model, but you've to face the reality. Being a lawyer is not bad too," Miku added worriedly.

Kaito nodded and said, "Kagamine, get a grip of yourself."

Rin groaned. After she had told them the truth, her friends' responses were discouraging. They sounded as if they did not even believe a single word she had said. She sighed and looked at her textbook.

"Rin, we're sorry, but your parents definitely don't allow you to do this type of thing. So... it sounds kind of impossible for you to go for the audition," Meiko explained and scratched her head awkwardly. "Is it really true that you... have signed up for it?"

"Yes," Rin sighed again.

There was silence. Everyone's jaws was hanging wide open, even Gakupo stopped talking and gawked at Rin as well.

"Look, I'm serious. Don't give me that look. I feel like I've just said a load of crappy stuffs," Rin grunted.

"Well, aren't you? I mean, your parents! They should have done something to stop you, shouldn't they? You know how against they are about this matter and then they suddenly allow you to take part in that audition!" Miku gasped dramatically. "It's like the goodness of all goodness!"

Rin shivered and mumbled, "What kind of phrase is that?"

Meiko leaned forward and began to bombard Rin with questions, "Anyway, what did your parents say? Why did they allow you? How did you manage to convince them in the first place? And..."

"Hey, hey, hey, chill!" Rin interjected with a frown. "My parents have decided to let me go for the audition but that doesn't mean they're no longer against it. Within three months, I've to prove to them that I can turn this dream of mine into reality. Then, they will allow me to pursue further as a model."

Her friends stared at her, then looked at one each other with wide eyes.

"That's..."

"Kind of..."

"Great?"

"Yay! Kagamine and I can see Luka together!"

And everyone's face fell, except for that ardent fan of Luka Megurine who had just said that.

-:-:-:-

"So, what are you planning to do in the audition? Like showing your talents and other stuffs."

Rin shrugged upon hearing Gakupo's question. How was she supposed to know what kind of talents she possessed? Even Len could not answer her this question too! Maybe he did answer, but he did not want to say it out loud to her. What was wrong with her inner talent? Why couldn't Len just spill the truth? Unknown to herself, she was already gritting her teeth at the thought of it.

"Kagamine?" Gakupo called out to her again and waved his hand right in front of her face. "Hello?"

Rin blinked and turned to look at Gakupo. "Ye... yes?"

He sighed and asked again, "What are you going to do in the audition?"

"I..." She paused. "I don't know. What about you?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and replied, "Hmm... since my sole purpose isn't really about becoming a model, I think I will just... sing?"

"Your singing is great. You'll definitely pass," Rin mumbled as she leaned her whole body against a pillar. "But I don't know what I'm going to do there, even though I really look forward to it."

The two of them just stood at the cab stand silently. While Rin was still moaning about her lack of talents, Gakupo was in deep thought. He was humming softly to himself, rubbing his cleanly-shaved chin and keeping his eyes close. Just then, he snapped his fingers and turned to look at Rin.

"Kagamine, I know what you can do!" he exclaimed. "Just be yourself."

Arching her left eyebrow, she faced Gakupo and gave him a questioning look. "Be myself? Like... how?"

"Do something which shows that you really do have a passion for modelling. I remember you did say that you liked to do poses in the past. Maybe... you can use that."

"Isn't that boring? Anyone can pose too," Rin shot back and pouted angrily. "Maybe I'm not fit to be a model at all. I can just die and rot now."

"You're so pessimistic."

Remaining silent, Rin just stared hopelessly into space until a cab arrived. After saying his farewell, Gakupo boarded it and left Rin alone in the cab stand. She guessed she had to ask Len for his honest opinion when she returned. He had to tell her or else, he would have to...

"Ka... Kagamine."

Startled by a sudden voice, Rin turned her head to the side and saw Kaito dragging his bike, which was finally found in the hands of some unknown thief, towards the stand. He stopped right in front of her and gave her a small smile.

He began, "Did you see Gakupo? I heard that Gakupo was waiting for the cab."

"Kamui just left. Why?"

"I've something to pass to him, but it's not that important." Kaito chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck to hide his awkwardness. "Kagamine... are you... waiting... for a cab as well? If you want, I can gi... give you... a... a ride."

Rin frowned at the way he stuttered. He was always like that when he was with her, stammering and asking her for a ride were the only things he could talk about when they were alone together. But when he was with others, he sounded so natural and less bashful. It felt like he wanted to be close with her but was scared to do so. Was she that scary to be with?

"I don't mind," Rin answered. "Thank you."

Kaito's eyes widened for a second before he started to beam happily. Rin had finally accepted his ride. He sat on the rider seat and patted the small passenger seat at the back, signalling her to sit on it. Rin sat down and wrapped her arms around Kaito's waist. When she did that, Kaito's face turned red, even his ears turned a little pinkish as well. He immediately closed his eyes, slowly breathed in and out, and kept calling himself to calm down in his head. What made his heart pound harder was when Rin's arms shifted a little to a comfortable position, brushing her arms against his waist.

"Shion, let's... what's wrong?" She noticed his pink ears and tried to take a closer look at his face so she leaned forward. "Your ears are pink."

Kaito lowered his head to hide his face from her. Judging her worried voice, he could picture her anxious face, looking straight at him as she spoke. For the love of God, why did Rin has to be so cute, even in his so-called imagination?

"Shion, if you're not well, you don't have to force yourself..."

Upon hearing that, his head sprang up and he quickly interrupted her, "No, I'm fine. I'll take you home. Where do you live?"

"That... can I show you the directions? I don't really know the name of the district quite well," Rin replied with a weak laugh.

Kaito arched his eyebows. Well, that was strange. For a person whom he had thought to have been living there for more than fifteen years of her life, it was too weird not to know the name of the district where she lived. Putting that thought aside, he stepped on the pedal and started the journey.

"Sure then."

-:-:-:-

Right at this moment, he then realised the true reason for her to 'forget' the area of her residence. As she got off his bicycle, he scanned the familiar looking buildings. If he was not wrong...

"Thank you for the ride, Shion," Rin said and bowed to him politely.

He immediately turned to her with a smile and asked, "You're welcome. But... is this where you really live?"

Her body stiffened.

"Why? Of course... I mean, I'm temporary staying here," her voice quivered and she started laughing weakly, trying to hide her anxiety.

Well, that was obvious.

"Len lives here."

She nodded frantically and blurted, "Yeah, I know. I'm staying with hi..."

Her eyes widened as she immediately closed her mouth. She saw how Kaito's smile vanished right on the spot and his face was replaced with a frown within a split second. What was she going to do? Kaito might get the wrong idea.

She fidgeted uncomfortably and looked at her watch. "Ah... I got to go now. Thanks again and goodbye!"

With that, she scurried off into an old building while he just stared at her diminishing silhouette in suspicion.

Could someone really tell him what was going on?

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 16.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 15. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- DarkestThingInTheLight  
- LucyHeartfilia125  
- 12domba  
- seraphim. 159  
- Gruesome Deaths  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**Preview of the next chapter:**

_Chapter 17: The Girl in Purple Dress  
_

_She looked down with tears welling up in her eyes and muttered, "My mother said... if a boy and a girl see those birds in pairs, the boy and the girl will get along with each other. If they catch the birds, they will be together forever."_

_Len's face fell upon hearing that and he said, "You're in your cheesy mode again."_

_She blushed and retorted, "Well, what's wrong with being cheesy? I just thought that... if we catch the two birds, we can be together forever."_

_"Stupid," Len mumbled and looked away, trying to hide his faint blush. "We don't have to catch them just to be together forever. What counts is actually our hearts."_

_"Our hearts?"_

_"Yeah. If we truly want to be together forever, we will make it happen even without charms," Len answered as he lowered his head even more, desperately trying to hide his flushed face from her. "If you want to be..."_

_"Then, do you truly want to be with me?"_

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	17. Chapter 17: The Girl in Purple Dress

**Dreams**

* * *

Chapter 17: The Girl in Purple Dress

Rin squeezed her eyes tightly and covered her face with her own pillow, counting sheeps under her breath. What she disliked about Len's bed was the hard mattress. How could he even sleep on this long flat piece of stone? She growled as she put the pillow away and stared at the plain ceiling. She should have brought her whole bed along if she could. Sighing away, Rin got out of bed and dragged her feet out of the room.

She headed towards the dark living room and as usual, Len was sleeping on the couch. His sleeping posture was weird. Both his right hand and right leg were dangling at the side of the couch while his left hand and left leg were resting against the back rest of the couch. Despite that, his sleeping face looked so serene. Shaking her head in disbelief, she brought his loose hand and leg upwards and carefully tucked them back on the couch. Yet, he was not stirred.

Rin squatted and rested her head on her palms while her gaze was settled on the face of the sleeping man. Not only his face looked serene, it looked so innocent and adorable. A bubbly feeling mounted within her, making her feel like giving his cheek a pinch. For goodness sake, why did Len has to be so...?

A sudden loud snort came from Len startled Rin, causing her to freeze on the spot. Her widened eyes fixated at him as he shifted a little, then he turned to his right side which was facing Rin. That was not good. She crawled backwards and unknown to her, she accidentally hit her bottom against a small round table. She yelped softly and crawled forward again.

She desperately placed her hands on the free spaces of the couch and tried to stand up, of course, without waking Len up. As she supported herself up, her body leaned so close to his arm that it barely brushed against each other. She bit her lower lip with a blush. The feeling of touching him was overwhelming but she had to control herself. At the same time, she did not want to control herself...

This was definitely an awkward torture.

"Just a touch, Rin. You won't die from a light touch," she muttered softly to herself as she reached out to his arm and gave it a poke.

She blushed harder. Just a light touch could send her heart racing and make her wanting to give him another poke. She did again, but this time her fingers gently brushed against his skin, allowing herself to feel the warmth passing through the contact. How she wished she could just grabbed his arm and hold onto it till she was satisfied.

"You..."

Rin yelped again and withdrew her hand in an instant. She spun her head around and caught sight of a figure standing next to the small round table. It was Len's mother. Oh, the horror!

"It's not what you think it is, Ma'am!" Rin spluttered and stood up. "I was just... just..."

Upon seeing Rin went all speechless and terrified, she asked, "What are you doing here so late at night?"

"I was just... you know, he had a bad sleeping posture... and I thought..." Rin fidgeted with her fingers and looked down shyly. "It's that I... I went to fix him..."

"Huh?" Len's mother was clueless about her disconnected speech. "Then... why are you here?"

"That... I couldn't sleep!" Rin spluttered again and lowered her head even lower. "I'm sorry."

"Come here."

Rin looked up and stared at the motherly figure waving to her. She looked at Len who was surprisingly not awake by the small commotion caused by her, then back to his mother again. She walked towards her and was led into her bedroom.

"Come in," his mother said, and after the both of them stepped in, she closed the door behind them. "You can't sleep, you say?"

Rin nodded.

"Was that because of the audition tomorrow?"

Rin nodded again. The woman's eyes softened and she patted her back gently.

"Be calm, Dear. Just do your best and give everything you got tomorrow. By the way, have you decided what clothes you're going to wear?" she queried.

"No, not yet. I don't really have any pretty clothes which can appeal to the judges," Rin answered. "Should I wear something flashy? Or maybe something very appealing? If so, I have to ask my friends whether they have any of these."

"Flashy and appealing? I think that's not necessary."

Len's mother chuckled as she walked towards her wardrobe and took out a long piece of dark purple dress. The dress was sleeveless and had a small black flower brooch at the left chest area.

"You can wear this dress. I think it fits you quite well, considering the contrast of the purple dress and the colour of your hair, and it matches your eye colour very well." She placed the dress right in front of Rin and smiled. "Try it on."

Rin hesitated for awhile before she reached out for the purple dress. Not only was it pretty, the fabric was smooth and thin. Of course, it was not that thin which one could see whatever she wore beneath, but it would be nice and uncomfortable to wear. Overall, it was well-made.

"Th... Th... Thank you," Rin stammered and hugged the dress with a light blush. "I'll try it on."

As Rin rushed to the bathroom to put on the dress, Len's mother silently chuckled to herself before laying back down on her bed.

"She is so much like that mysterious girl whom Len used to talk a lot about..."

-:-:-:-

_"Len! Look!"_

_Len combed his fringe upwards and turned around as the cold wind brushed against his skin. A girl in long purple dress was running towards him with her finger pointing at a tree. She wore an excited smile as she ran closer to him. Her dress fluttered, so was her medium-long hair. He looked at the tree quizzically. Was there anything so interesting about it? It was just a short fat tree! Maybe because it was fat which made it interesting to her._

_He felt a tug on his sleeve and a voice broke the short silence, "Follow me!"_

_"W... wait! Why?" he stammered in confusion as he was being pulled by her._

_She did not reply him, neither did she bother to. She stopped right in front of the tree and pointed upwards. "The birds... can you see them?"_

_Len looked up as told, only to see two small colourful birds sitting on one of the branches. He had seen this specie before but he was not sure about the name of these birds._

_"What are they?" he asked the girl._

_"I don't know," she replied with a shrug._

_"Hmm..." Len sighed and turned around, beginning to walk away. "It's time to go home..."_

_"Len, aren't you going to catch them?"_

_"Are you crazy? It's impossible to catch them." Len flapped his arms, mimicking a bird flapping its wings. "They can fly!"_

_"But..."_

_"But what?"_

_She looked down with tears welling up in her eyes and muttered, "My mother said... if a boy and a girl see those birds in pairs, the boy and the girl will get along with each other. If they catch the birds, they will be together forever."_

_Len's face fell upon hearing that and he said, "You're in your cheesy mode again."_

_She blushed and retorted, "Well, what's wrong with being cheesy? I just thought that... if we catch the two birds, we can be together forever."_

_"Stupid," Len mumbled and looked away, trying to hide his faint blush. "We don't have to catch them just to be together forever. What counts is actually our hearts."_

_"Our hearts?"_

_"Yeah. If we truly want to be together forever, we will make it happen even without charms," Len answered as he lowered his head even more, desperately trying to hide his flushed face from her. "If you want to be..."_

_"Then, do you truly want to be with me?" she interrupted him._

_He looked up, finding himself staring straight at her closed-up face. Since when did she moved closer to him? He continued to stare at her while she moved closer and closer until he could feel her hands move up his chest and her light gentle breath brushed against his chin. Closing his eyes, he felt her warm hands wrap around his neck and her hot breath on his lips. He instinctively leaned in and rested his lips on something soft and moist._

_Then, he heard a soft moan, "Len..."_

_That voice..._

_It was not hers at all._

_Who was it?_

_His eyes fluttered open and he saw a different person in front of him. He pushed the person away and saw a little girl in chains looking down on the grasses with tears welling up in her eyes. Her body was shaking in fear._

_"Len," she called out to him softly in a shaky voice. "Don't leave me... Don't return to her side. Please..."_

_The girl in heavy chain leaned closer to him, as if she wanted to place her budding lips on his. He slowly backed away. This was wrong. He was not a pedophile!_

_"Len..."_

_He moved backwards without knowing that the whole garden scenery had changed._

_"No, you're not her. You're not..." Before he could say anymore, his foot slipped and he felt his body become lighter than before._

_No, he was not floating._

_He had fell off the rocky cliff instead._

_"Why, Len? Why did you break your promise?"_

Len sprung out of the couch and looked around the living room frantically. Beads of perspiration rolled down his forehead as he panted heavily. The feeling of falling off the cliff felt so real in his dream that his whole body twitched and jerked in response. Was that what most people called it hypnic jerk?

"Len, you're awake. Good," his mother's gentle voice calmed him down for some reason. "It's time for breakfast."

Len wiped his perspiration in relief. It was finally morning and he did not have to sleep anymore. It was quite strange to think like this but he had been dreaming for the whole night. There were a few dreams, as far as he knew, but he could remember a little. Of course, the last dream he had before waking up was as clear as crystal. There was another dream before that dream. What was that again?

"Good morning!" Rin greeted him all of a sudden as she walked past the living room.

Right then, he had a somewhat strange feeling linking to the other dream which he was trying hard to remember. He frowned and thought hard. That feeling was so familiar, yet so distant.

"What happened, Len?" his mother asked worriedly upon seeing the stressed look on his face.

"No, it's nothing. It just..." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Why do I feel like I was being harassed in my sleep?"

Rin, who had already heard his soft mutters, gulped and immediately hid her flustered face behind her bread while Len's mother just smiled, pretending not to know anything.

"Well, son," she began. "It must be a dream."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 17.**

******Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 16. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**************Here are the reviewers:**

******- XxKAGAMiNEMiRRORS002xX  
- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- DarkestThingInTheLight  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- seraphim. 159  
**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

* * *

**Preview of the next chapter:**

_Chapter 18: When Things Changes  
_

_"About Kagamine..." he added softly, still looking down on the wooden table. "I mean the female Kagamine."_

_Len gulped. What was he afraid of? It was not like he did anything bad to Rin. But why did he feel like avoiding this topic? He bit his lower lip hard and convinced himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. He had to face it, even though he knew he definitely did nothing._

_"I like her." Kaito pressed his palm on his right eye as he continued to look down, avoiding Len's gaze. "And... recently... I don't know why I have this feeling... that..."_

_Kaito paused again and clicked his tongue. There was another silence between them. The waitress returned with their orders and after sensing the cold air around them, she hurriedly ran back into the kitchen._

_"Len," Kaito spoke again, but this time he sounded serious. "What is your relationship with Rin Kagamine?"_

**************Before you leave this page, don't forget to leave a review! Thank you! ;)**


	18. Chapter 18: When Things Changes

**Dreams**

_"Looking back isn't going to do you any good."_

_"But what about you? You can't break our promise just like that!"_

_"Think about it realistically. What was in the past is the past, what's present is the present. Things change, so do we."_

_"But promises don't change... Len."_

* * *

Chapter 18: When Things Changes

Len was adjusting his tie when Rin suddenly burst into his bedroom. Len turned around with a wicked grin, preparing to lecture her on how to knock the door before coming into someone else's bedroom, especially a guy's room. But in the end, he stood still and stared at the lady before him with wide eyes. Rin blushed at his intense stare and began rubbing her thighs together.

"So... how do I look?"

"What are you doing in that dress?" Ignoring her question, he pointed at the purple dress she was wearing. "If I'm not wrong, it's Mum's."

"Yes, it's your mother's dress and she is lending it to me," Rin replied and did a twirl. "So, how do I look?"

"Okay."

"Just... okay?" Rin sounded very disappointed and she hung her head low. "Just okay... I see..."

Her voice turned into a menacing one which made Len shudder on the spot. Did he say anything wrong? He was sure that he did not say anything horrible to her. Or was it? Anyway, he could not just say that she was resembling the girl who had worn a purple dress in his dream the night before. Thinking about the dream made him shudder again.

"I see... I look so ugly..."

Len knitted his eyebrows together and retorted, "I didn't say that! You look fine. Okay means fine, Miss Kagamine."

She looked up with watery eyes and sniffed hard. "Fine? Just fine? That means... I can't attract the judges' attention and I can just fail... and... and... die?"

"Huh?" Len stared at her in disbelief. "Aren't you thinking too much?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I should be the one saying this to you," Len shot back and continued to adjust his tie. "Besides, don't you have school today? You've to get ready for school, instead of fooling around in that dress."

"Nope. My lecturer is sick today," Rin replied angrily. "And I'm not fooling around! Today is my audition, for goodness sake!"

"So?"

"So, you should at least say something about my attire!" Rin yelled with a fist waving in the air.

Len gawked at her and then shook his head, saying, "I'm off to work. Good luck for your audition."

Just when he was about to leave the room, Rin ran towards him and shouted, "H... H... Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"

"What now?" he grunted.

She puffed up her reddened cheeks and looked away. "What do you think I should perform for this audition?"

Len quietly stared at her for a moment before he gave her a gentle smile and answered, "Just be yourself and be confident. I'm sure you can do it."

After saying that, Len left the room. His words rang through her ears, filling her chest with warmth. Like an oil, his words were making her more pumped up than before, more excited for this audition, more determined than the ones which Gakupo had used to encourage her, and making her heart beat faster than before. She wondered why his words had to be so beautiful to her ears though Gakupo had used the same words as him while encouraging her. Something had been wrong with her since she had met this cab driver.

She shook her head and pouted. No matter what, he should have commented something about her dress and since he used to be into fashion designing, he should be able to say a suitable word or two, instead of saying 'okay' or 'fine'. To a lady, these two words means 'you look normal, just lack of appeal, but I'm not telling you that straight in your face'.

"Right... thanks for your encouragement and your very fine comment."

-:-:-:-

_"Tonight will be the first night whereby some people will gather together for the most waited modelling audition organised by ALICE Studio. It's only the first day of the audition. But who will emerge at the end of the audition?"_

_"We will see about that."_

_"Luka, what are your expectations for the people who will be auditioning tonight?"_

_"Hmm... Since I'll be present there tonight, I hope to see talented people who will difinitely impress me till they have me at the edge of my seat."_

_"Wow! It seems that Luka has high expectation for them!"_

_"Of course, I do."_

_"What are your final advices to those excited people out there?"_

_"Well, of course, be yourselves and enjoy the process. Being relax is the uttermost importance in modelling. So, good luck!"_

"My daughter is participating in this audition because she's a huge fan of Luka Megurine," a man in his early fifties suddenly spoke.

Len took a small sip of the coffee and smacked his lips. "Good luck to your daughter, Sir."

"No, that's not it," the man muttered and hid his face behind his large slightly wrinkled palms. "I want her to study hard and go into a local university, not into a world of useless modelling."

Len deliberately turned off the old radio and nodded in response to the man's words. The man went on and on about how incompetent she was in her studies, doing nothing but chatting with her friends over the telephone.

"I don't want her to end up like me." The man sighed. "I mean, which father wants to see his own child becoming someone who is not successful in life?"

Which father?

Len looked down and thought about the question. His father had always encouraged him to pursue his dreams. One of which was becoming a fashion designer. If his father were to see him doing something low like a cab diver, what would his father feel? Would he be disappointed? Or would he be proud that his son had given up everything to support the family? He did not know what his father might be thinking even if he was looking after him in heaven.

Well, what could he do even if he pondered about this? Things changed, so did he. Not all dreams come true for all, but he did believe that there were other unexpected things kept in store for him. The thought of wondering what was going to happen next made his life somewhat interesting. Maybe just for him since he did not really have any personal goals in life anymore. Not at all, except for making sure that his mother was still fine and healthy.

"Oops... sorry. I didn't mean to say that," the man said, looking apologetically at Len. "I mean..."

"It's okay," Len assured with a smile. "Looking back isn't going to do me any good, and I've kind of gotten use with my current lifestyle."

As the man furrowed his brows in pity, Len stood up from the seat, bowed to him and headed towards his cab.

-:-:-:-

As promised, Len arrived at an old seafood store to meet his childhood friend for dinner. Not exactly dinner, but it was more like a talk about a certain someone. He kind of knew it that this would eventually happen. If only he had left her alone...

"Len."

Len turned his head around and saw Kaito occupying an empty table. He waved to Kaito and walked over to the table.

"Hi Kaito, it has been awhile," Len greeted as he sat at the opposite side of his friend.

Kaito nodded and raised his hand to call for a waiter. Almost instantly, a young waitress arrived at their table, getting ready to receive their orders.

"One plate of fried salmon with rice and a glass of soda water," Kaito said and then looked at Len. "What do you want?"

Len flinched and began to look for a menu which he thought the waitress would have provided them. But he could not find one. What kind of service was that?

Much to his dismay and desperation, he hesitantly answered, "Rice with miso soup."

The waitress blinked a few times and wrote down his order whereas Kaito gawked at him.

"Is that even enough to fill your stomach? Do you want to order more? Don't worry. It's my treat."

"Thanks, Kaito. But you don't have to pay for my share..."

Kaito shook his head and interrupted him, "That's not good, Len. We hadn't been hanging out with each other a lot lately. So, it's my treat today."

"You don't have to do it. I'll feel quite bad," Len furrowed his eyebrows as he said that.

"You don't have to. We're friends, aren't we?" Kaito smiled gently and looked at the blushing waitress. "I'm sorry, Miss. Change of orders, two plates of fried salmons with rice and two bowls of miso soup. Thank you."

"Ye... Yes!" she stuttered and scurried into the kitchen.

Unknown to the two young men, they appeared as an intimate pair in the eyes of the waitress. The two of them remained silent as awkwardness filled the air. Len knew what Kaito was going to ask him but he pretended not to know a thing. Well, being ignorant might sometimes be a good thing.

"So... how is your preparation for your exams?" Len spoke.

"Quite good. Three more chapters to go and I'm ready," Kaito said confidently and patted his chest. "I really hope I can score distinctions for every subject this semester. Get good grades, get a stable job, and..."

Kaito paused and looked down.

"About Kagamine..." he added softly, still looking down on the wooden table. "I mean the female Kagamine."

Len gulped. What was he afraid of? It was not like he did anything bad to Rin. But why did he feel like avoiding this topic? He bit his lower lip hard and convinced himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. He had to face it, even though he knew he definitely did nothing.

"I like her." Kaito pressed his palm on his right eye as he continued to look down, avoiding Len's gaze. "And... recently... I don't know why I have this feeling... that..."

Kaito paused again and clicked his tongue. There was another silence between them. The waitress returned with their orders and after sensing the cold air around them, she hurriedly ran back into the kitchen.

"Len," Kaito spoke again, but this time he sounded serious. "What is your relationship with Rin Kagamine?"

It was Len's turn to look down as he knew it would come to this in the end.

-:-:-:-

"Kamui! Where the hell are you?" Rin grunted as she walked along the empty corridor. "That crazy fanboy... rushing off on his own to look for his idol... As if I don't want to see her too!"

She continued to grumble as she stepped into a room. The room was filled with many modelling audition participants, around fifteen people to be exact, and they were staring hard at Rin, making her feel uncomfortable. She instantly lowered her head and walked towards an empty corner. She stood there quietly until Gakupo burst in panting heavily as if he had run a marathon before coming here. Upon seeing Rin at the other side of the room, he ignored the intense stare from the other participants and headed towards Rin.

"Kagamine!"

"Kamui, where were you?" Rin crossed her arms, feeling annoyed.

"Kagamine... kill me now!"

"Why? What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Gakupo put his hands on her shoulders and whispered into her ears, "I've just seen the numbers outside the staffroom."

"What numbers?"

"I'm the first one to be auditioned and you..." Gakupo's grips tightened around her shoulders. "... are the eleventh."

"Fir... First?" Rin gasped. "That's... scary!"

"That's why, Kagamine, kill me now! Or... let's exchange!"

Rin frowned and hissed, "No way, young man! I'm quite happy to be the eleventh person."

"Whereas I'm not!"

"Think about it this way," Rin said. "You'll be the first to see Luka Megurine in person."

Gakupo withdrew his hands and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... you're right."

Rin smiled as she lightly punched his shoulder and looked at the other participants. Strangely, these people were giving them a condescending look which frightened her. She checked her dress and hair but they looked fine. So, what was wrong?

"Don't you think this purple dress looks old-fashioned? At this day and age, who would wear this?"

"So ugly."

Rin heard their murmers and went to check herself on a wall mirror. No matter how she looked at herself, she thought she looked normal. Furthermore, Len and his mother said that she was looking fine in the dress.

"She's going to fail and make a fool out of herself in front of Luka Megurine..."

* * *

**Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 18.**

**Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 17. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D**

**Here are the reviewers:**

**- DarkestThingInTheLight  
- YellowFluffiesForever22  
- Mitsu  
- justanothernaah  
- seraphim. 159  
- Gruesome Deaths  
- Guest**

**********Lastly, ****I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.**

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**Preview of the next chapter:**

_Chapter 19: Audition  
_

_"Miss Kagamine, you have left the question about your talents blank," the silvery-white haired judge pointed out. "So, do you have any special talents?"_

_"I... don't know," Rin replied._

_"So, you've no talent at all."_

_"I..."_

_"If you've no talent, how are you going to show us what you actually got?"_

_Rin hung her head again. She knew that this audition was going to be a failure and there was no hope in getting through it. Maybe it was time to buck up her studies and listen to her parents._

_"What does being a model mean to you?"_

_Rin looked up upon hearing that question._

_"There must be some sort of inspiration, other than posing, to make you reconsider your future job option," the silvery-white haired judge continued._

_Before Rin could open her mouth to say a word or two, a loud tapping sound was heard, startling Rin. She looked at one of the judges who kept tapping the tip of his pen against the table, and he looked back at her._

_"People who has no talent don't really have any inspiration, do they?" he mocked and laughed at his own question. "Well, that's obvious."_

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